“Rewind” premiered at the end of the next year, just in time for the New Year’s holiday season.
Sitting on the flight back to China, Cheng Ran watched the clouds swiftly passing outside the window. His heart was both excited and nervous – excited to set foot on this land again after many years, and nervous because he was returning with his work, worried whether the audience here would accept it.
Ye Zhou felt the constant rustling beside him. After trying to ignore it, he finally couldn’t resist. Pulling down his eye mask, he asked drowsily, “Aren’t you tired?”
Startled, Cheng Ran stammered an apology, “Did I disturb you? I’m sorry.”
Ye Zhou stared at him for a few seconds, his eyes finally focusing. His voice still laced with fatigue, he reassured, “It’s just a red carpet. Don’t be nervous. The important thing is participating.”
His tone was casual, but Cheng Ran’s expression didn’t relax at all. If anything, he seemed even more tense than before.
Seeing Cheng Ran still on edge after a couple of attempts to calm him, Ye Zhou shook his head helplessly and changed the subject. “I might leave after attending the Golden Lemon Awards ceremony. If you have time, arrange some commercial performances. If not, don’t bother.”
Cheng Ran’s eyes widened in shock, his face a picture of disbelief.
“You mean you won’t participate in the film’s promotion?”
“No, I have other matters to attend to,” Ye Zhou shook his head, declining without hesitation or the slightest embarrassment. He added lazily, “There’s a professional PR team that will handle things. They’ll contact you later. When it comes to promotion, they’re far more reliable than me.”
Listen to that! How could he say such things?
Even the most famous directors wouldn’t be so indifferent about their own film as Ye Zhou was, finishing the shoot and then running off. How could he be so brazenly irresponsible?
Cheng Ran wanted to grab Ye Zhou’s collar and yell in his ear, “Doesn’t your conscience hurt at all?!”
Of course, reason stopped Cheng Ran. He didn’t dare.
Since collaborating, Cheng Ran gained new insight into Ye Zhou. He discovered that Ye Zhou was generally easy-going on set, smiling, and seemingly carefree most days. However, when filming encountered real issues, Ye Zhou’s fury rivaled that of the big-name directors Cheng Ran had encountered during his extra work days.
Ye Zhou seemed to be the type who rarely lost his temper, but when he did, the effect was astounding.
During the two-plus years of filming “Rewind,” Cheng Ran only witnessed Ye Zhou lose his temper twice. Once was when there was a problem with the costumes. The agreed-upon outfits arrived on set, only for them to discover the quality was poor, completely different from what was promised.
The costume department head stammered excuses, and when contacting the manufacturer, they insisted they had followed the specifications.
After two days of back-and-forth bickering without resolution, Ye Zhou said nothing and directly dismissed the costume department head and his lackeys.
He then hired a lawyer and sued the shoddy costume factory. The company’s representatives tried several times to negotiate a settlement, but couldn’t even get past the set’s front gate.
After that, no one in the crew dared to slack off. All accounts became crystal clear, and shady dealings ceased.
But what left the deepest impression on Cheng Ran wasn’t this incident. Shortly after filming began, Jiang Yu somehow got wind of it and repeatedly sent local thugs to harass him.
Though they never mentioned who sent them, Cheng Ran knew Jiang Yu well enough to recognize these underhanded tactics as his usual tricks.
Despite Cheng Ran’s best efforts to protect his face and having makeup artists cover occasional bruises, while facial marks could be concealed, bodily injuries weren’t always easy to hide.
Once, during a rain scene, Cheng Ran wore a thin shirt. When drenched, the blue and purple bruises on his body were impossible to conceal.
Ye Zhou exploded on the spot, asking Cheng Ran if he was brain-damaged, why he couldn’t use his mouth to speak instead of enduring silently, thinking he was being strong.
That day, Ye Zhou berated Cheng Ran viciously in front of the entire crew. However, after that, Cheng Ran noticed the group of thugs harassing him never returned.
A few days later, while browsing domestic news, Cheng Ran saw a photo of Jiang Yu with a bruised face, bandaged head, crouching dejectedly by the roadside smoking.
The accompanying headline read: “Jiang Yu, Burdened with 500 Million Debt, Makes First Public Appearance; Suspected Victim of Creditor Assault, Looks Miserable.”
Others might not understand, but Cheng Ran knew exactly what had happened.
Sometimes Cheng Ran truly felt Ye Zhou was an odd person. He could be ruthless when criticizing others, yet his actions behind the scenes were incredibly heartwarming, contradicting his harsh words.
“What are you daydreaming about?” Ye Zhou frowned, thinking Cheng Ran didn’t want to do the commercial performances. He said, “Go if you want to. It’s good to be seen more in this industry. If you really don’t want to go, that’s fine too. You’ve been busy for so long, resting at home won’t hurt anything.”
Cheng Ran snapped back to reality and smiled at him, “I’ll go. After all, I’m the lead actor you personally chose. I can’t let you down.”
Ye Zhou chuckled, patted his shoulder, then pulled down his eye mask to continue sleeping.
When he woke up, the plane had arrived. As Ye Zhou exited with his suitcase, he spotted Mr. Jiang waiting for him at the gate.
Thinking back, it had been over a month since they’d last met.
Ye Zhou picked up his suitcase and sneaked through the crowd towards Mr. Jiang. Before being noticed, he covered Mr. Jiang’s eyes with his hands.
Lowering his voice childishly, he said, “Guess who?”
Though he’d already recognized Ye Zhou, Mr. Jiang indulgently played along for a moment. He took Ye Zhou’s hand and kissed it, murmuring, “It’s my big baby.”
Despite being an old couple, they never tired of sweet nothings. Ye Zhou hugged Mr. Jiang from behind, nuzzling his back and muttering, “Lao Jiang, I missed you terribly.”
Hearing this, Mr. Jiang’s eyes darkened, as if emotions were brewing and surging beneath the surface.
He held Ye Zhou’s hand while naturally ruffling his slightly messy hair with the other. Then he took Ye Zhou’s suitcase, and they walked out with the crowd.
Since Ye Zhou had taken a flight in the early morning, the sky was just brightening when they arrived home.
To relieve fatigue, Ye Zhou’s first action at home was to draw a bath. However, he was so tired that he fell asleep in the tub while bathing.
In the end, Mr. Jiang carried him out, dried him off, changed him into pajamas, and put him to bed.
The next day, Ye Zhou slept until afternoon, woken by the phone ringing. He hurriedly got ready and rushed to the Golden Lemon Film Festival venue.
Likely due to recent exhaustion, Ye Zhou’s energy waned after walking the red carpet. He managed to stay alert for the first half, occasionally applauding and congratulating those nearby. However, he struggled in the latter half, dozing off with half-closed eyes.
Seated beside him were Cheng Ran and old friends Liu Zhao and He Feiyang, who had specially requested seat changes. Noticing his poor state, they discreetly shielded him from cameras to prevent malicious online speculation.
This continued until the host called Ye Zhou’s name, making further cover impossible.
Cheng Ran nudged Ye Zhou’s arm, but too gently to rouse him. As people began looking their way, He Feiyang firmly slapped Ye Zhou’s shoulder.
Ye Zhou jolted awake, about to ask what was happening when Liu Zhao quickly stood, smiling broadly, “Congratulations, Director Ye! We know you’re excited. Stop grinning and go up, everyone’s waiting!”
Liu Zhao’s social intelligence shone through, summarizing the situation in a few words. Ye Zhou instantly sobered, cleared his throat, and said, “Right, thank you.”
Ascending the stage for his second Golden Lemon award, Ye Zhou appeared elegant and composed compared to his first, more excited appearance.
Gazing at familiar faces below, he smiled slightly and said into the microphone, “Stay true to the original aspiration, keep striving. Thank you all.”
This simple sentence perfectly captured Ye Zhou’s current life state.
Since collaborating with Director Sang on “The Most Beautiful,” observers noticed Ye Zhou’s style becoming increasingly free and bold, which was evident in his cinematography, color choices, and actor selection.
If previous Ye Zhou focused on profits, infusing his films with commercial elements, post-“The Most Beautiful” works like “Rewind” saw these elements nearly vanish.
He no longer restrained his talent, openly displaying both strengths and flaws to all viewers.
This relaxed, natural style led “Rewind” to unanimous praise from the Golden Lemon jury, earning an award Ye Zhou himself hadn’t anticipated.
Besides the Best Director award, another climax at the Golden Lemon Film Festival occurred shortly after Ye Zhou left the stage. When the presenter announced an utterly unfamiliar name, the previously quiet venue suddenly erupted in commotion.
“The winner of this year’s Golden Lemon Most Promising Newcomer Award is… Cheng Ran!”
Who was Cheng Ran? What were his works? Which company was he from?
Not only were the viewers watching the live broadcast bewildered, even industry insiders at the ceremony were confused. Many had never even heard this name before.
Amidst the murmuring discussions, a few wealthy businessmen who once had good relations with Jiang Yu paused. Cheng Ran? The name seemed vaguely familiar. Could it be…
In the midst of the clamor, Jiang Yu, who had barely managed to obtain an invitation and snuck in under a false name, disguised and seated inconspicuously in the back row, shuddered upon hearing the name.
Cheng Ran? Was it the Cheng Ran he knew?
If not, how could there be such a coincidence? And if it was, Jiang Yu momentarily struggled to control the grotesque expression on his face.
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