novelinnhs Chapter 96 This is called "The Power of Art"
Chapter 96 This is called "The Power of Art"
The screen went completely black.
The projector beam disappeared.
The theater was absolutely silent; even the sound of breathing was swallowed up.
one second.
ten seconds.
Thirty seconds.
A film critic in the front row made a soft "click" sound as the lead in his ballpoint pen broke.
A full minute.
A deathly silence.
No one got up, no one spoke.
Chen Yan walked out from the side curtain, the soles of his leather shoes tapping on the steps, each tap feeling like a blow to everyone's heart.
He didn't look at the audience; he stood in the shadows at the edge of the stage, slowly adjusting his cufflinks.
Snapped.
A round of applause rang out from the second-floor stands, abrupt and crisp.
Snap, snap snap.
Next up is the midfield, then the back row.
Finally, the leaders and veteran artists in the front row also began to applaud.
The applause didn't erupt instantly, but rather came in waves, slowly and steadily gathering until it filled the entire space.
Someone stood up.
The people behind them stood up as well.
One row, two rows, until all 1,400-plus people in the audience stood up.
Applause filled the entire theater.
Shao Wenlin, a leading figure in Chinese film criticism, pushed aside his assistant who was supporting him and stumbled toward the stage.
He stopped in front of Chen Yan, tears welling in his eyes.
A pair of hands covered in age spots gripped Chen Yan's right hand tightly.
My palms were burning hot and trembling violently.
"Chen Yan!"
Shao Wenlin's voice roared through the microphone amidst thunderous applause, "This isn't a movie!"
The reporters went crazy, rushing to the stage entrance, their cameras clicking away in a continuous barrage.
Chen Yan raised his head, met the old man's gaze, and spoke in a steady voice.
"I filmed a rain shower, Mr. Shao."
"No!"
Shao Wenlin roared, veins bulging on his neck. He grabbed Chen Yan's hand, turned to the audience behind him, and pointed at the dark screen.
"You used that damn film to completely destroy the aesthetic sense of us old folks!"
Su Wan changed into a smart black business suit and walked to the front of the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's main character is not just Director Chen."
She looked towards the backstage entrance.
"And then there's Ms. Lin Qingqiu, who gave this film its soul."
The side curtain is drawn back.
Lin Qingqiu came out.
He wore a very ordinary black turtleneck sweater, and on top of that faded military overcoat.
Without makeup, her long hair was casually tied back, and she exuded a sense of exhaustion and brokenness, as if she had just crawled out of the ruins.
This perfectly overlaps with the stubborn woman on the screen.
The entire audience gasped.
A reporter shoved the microphone to the front: "Ms. Lin! Do you have anything to clarify regarding the report on prohibited drugs provided by Lu Haiming?"
Lin Qingqiu stopped and glanced at Chen Yan.
Chen Yan nodded almost imperceptibly to her.
She held onto the microphone stand, her knuckles still bleeding from the abrasions.
"I don't need clarification."
Her voice was hoarse and had a metallic quality.
"In Lu Haiming's real estate development, every single steel bar is fake."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the various expressions on the faces below the stage.
"But in Director Chen's lens, every bone in my body is real."
The entire room fell silent.
Three seconds later, an even more frenzied cheer and applause erupted.
"Back off! Everyone back off!"
Wu Gang led his men to form a human wall, desperately protecting the flanks.
---
VIP room on the second floor of the cinema.
Lin Shufen stubbed out her cigarette, and the three cell phones on the table kept vibrating and buzzing.
"Mr. Lin! All five shows in Haidian are sold out! The aisles are packed! The audience is refusing to leave, yelling for more shows!"
"Mr. Lin, the cinema manager in Chaoyang said someone came in carrying a suitcase full of cash to buy film copies!"
The door was pushed open, and Su Wan strode in.
"President Lin, Lu Haiming's legal team has arrived. Six top partners have come with a court order to seal all the master tapes."
Lin Shufen sneered, "The man's inside, but the dogs are barking loudly. He wants to drag this movie down with him."
She looked at Chen Yan, who had walked in. He took off his rain-soaked suit and draped it over the back of his chair.
"Wu Gang will handle it."
Chen Yan sat down opposite her and cut straight to the point, "Lu Haiming has fallen. I want the operating rights to those three flagship cinemas under his name in Sanlitun and Xidan."
Lin Shufen narrowed her eyes: "You have too much of an appetite. Those three companies are the core assets of 'Minghai Industry,' owing the bank 800 million yuan. It will take at least three to five years to sort them out."
"I don't want ownership rights, I just want the right to operate the business."
Chen Yan took out a planning map from his bag and tapped it with his finger. "Tell the bank I'll take over. All box office revenue will go directly into the escrow account to offset the debt. The condition is that I get to decide the screening schedule for these three cinemas."
Lin Shufen stared at Chen Yan; every step this young man took was so precise that it sent chills down her spine.
"You want to build your own cinema chain."
"Lu Haiming was able to use the cinema chain to attack me because he holds the lifeline of the film industry in his hands."
Chen Yan looked out the window. "What if my movie is only shown in my theater?"
Lin Shufen picked up her phone and dialed a number.
"Chen Yan, if this works out, you'll be more than just a director."
"I never intended to just be a filmmaker."
The call connected, and Lin Shufen's tone regained its businesswoman's decisiveness: "President Wang? This is Lin Shufen. Regarding the bad debt from Minghai Industry, I'd like to recommend someone to you..."
---
Interrogation room in southern Beijing.
Lu Haiming lowered his head, his designer suit wrinkled like pickled vegetables.
"Lu Haiming, stop waiting."
The investigator slammed a document on the table. "Your lawyer, Zhou Fangping, has confessed everything."
Lu Haiming slowly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.
"Impossible... My property, my cinemas..."
You have nothing left.
The investigators interrupted him, "The operating rights of your three cinemas have just been taken over by a director named Chen Yan as collateral for debt. This was specially approved by the bank to revitalize state-owned assets."
"Not only that, he made copies of all the contracts you forged and every bad debt in Tianjin, and sent them to newspapers all over Beijing."
Lu Haiming suddenly laughed, but the laughter turned into a violent cough.
"A mere kid... what makes him think he can..."
Outside the window, a bolt of lightning ripped through the night sky, followed by a muffled rumble of thunder.
It's exactly the same sound as the one in the movie "Thunder".
The raindrops pounded against the iron windowpane.
Lu Haiming's laughter stopped.
He recalled what Chen Yan had said to him at the premiere:
"The real show is just beginning."
His body went completely limp and he slid under the table.
---
The crowd dispersed from the cinema lobby.
Lin Shufen hung up the phone, staring at the constantly updated box office data on her phone, her eyes wide with madness.
"Chen Yan, with only 2% of the screenings, managed to sell 25% of them within two hours! A record in film history!"
Chen Yan took a cigarette out of the cigarette case and lit it.
"This isn't a miracle, Mr. Lin."
He took a drag of his cigarette. "This is a movie."
Lin Shufen looked at Chen Yan's profile; the young man's composure sent a chill down her spine.
This is not the look a 22-year-old student should have.
That's the shrewdness and ruthlessness that comes from decades of immersion in the world of fame and fortune.
"Next, Cannes?"
Chen Yan stubbed out his cigarette.
"Su Wan, go pick up Lin Qingqiu. Tell the media that she will only accept one interview."
He stepped outside, where Wu Gang's black Santana was already waiting by the roadside.
"Let's go."
"Where to?"
Su Wan followed behind him, "Are we going back to Beijing Film Academy to celebrate?"
Chen Yan opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.
"Go to Tianjin."
Wu Gang was taken aback: "Going back to that piece of land?"
Chen Yan fastened his seatbelt and looked at the darkness ahead, which had been torn open by the dawn.
"No."
His voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable weight.
"Collect the debt."