Chapter 26: A-Zhi Is Nearly Moved to Tears by Anger

After seeing Le Jiātóng off, Li Wenyu ate to his fill in one go and sent a message to Huang Shengyi: "Has there been any bizarre news at school recently related to me?"

He set his phone aside and went online. The Miracle Boy press conference was scheduled for 10 a.m., with various print media and TV stations broadcasting live, flooding the internet with news.

Soon, he effortlessly discovered that an online frenzy had erupted. Zhang Guorong, Liu Dehua, and Wang Zuxian alone carried tremendous star power. Brother Rong had high-profilely announced a new blockbuster film, “Shā Tān,” set for release on December 22, 2008, as a friendly cameo.

This instantly sparked countless memories. That date had long been etched in the minds of netizens for a while.

More than one clever person had guessed it was a date.

Nobody expected it to be Zhang Guorong’s new film! And a collaboration with Fan Bingbing?

Bingbing had attended the press conference today, her fashion and makeup leading a whole era, radiating a fierce, glamorous, and commanding aura with an exquisitely stunning face that outshone even the most dazzling stars.

Even the most prominent star, Zhang Bozhi, was overshadowed.

Among female celebrities, there were many photo-bombers, and Bingbing was exactly one of them!

Those in the know recognized her as Jin Suo, yet many media professionals at the scene barely recognized that this was Jin Suo. Countless people still remembered her as a little girl, a maidservant who hadn’t fully grown, but here she was, radiating queen-like dominance and beauty—Jin Suo?

Many felt their memories were playing tricks on them.

She had become Brother Rong’s new film’s female lead? This news was explosive. Zhang Guorong’s last theatrical release had been over a year ago during the summer season.

Countless fans hadn’t seen Brother Rong on the big screen for almost a year and a half.

Zhang Guorong’s fans and music lovers were ecstatic, with many cheering at the press conference, urging Brother Rong to sing some classic hits live, and asking Brother Hua to perform a few songs too, turning it into an impromptu concert.

Zhang Guorong praised Fan Bingbing’s beauty, kindness, spirit, and acting skills, calling her the best young actress to collaborate with.

Zhang Bozhi was nearly moved to tears—her smile faltered.

This press conference truly marked Bingbing’s grand debut in the film world, akin to the triumphant return of a queen, bold and dazzling.

When Brother Rong announced that Bingbing could also represent the Normal University in various internet beauty pageants across East Asia and Southeast Asia, she was only twenty, still a sophomore or junior by normal academic standards.

All of this, broadcast live by TV stations and spread throughout Hong Kong and Macau, allowed Bingbing to seamlessly join the mainland’s beauty team, easily surpassing Yang Qin and Le Jiātóng to claim second place.

Huang Shengyi’s appeal was slightly thicker-skinned, but that was only because of her mute role and the purity in her eyes that charmed many.

When the online hype began, the queen’s triumphant return was absolutely formidable!

While Li Wenyu enjoyed all the fun online, his phone buzzed with a message from Huang Shengyi: “Brother Wenyu, your news? Your roommate Old Wang said you bragged about trying to get close to Sister Min. Old Wang also bragged about wanting to court Song Huiqiao. I know Sister Min’s public image is different.”

“Are you not afraid that after stirring things up, she’ll cling to you? She’s older, so you, senior brother, might want to consider us younger ones.”

At this moment, various content from the Miracle Boy press conference began streaming back to the mainland internet.

Li Wenyu was tempted to expose that silly Old Wang. The more bizarre the gossip, the faster it spread, and people loved the juicy details.

His reputation was at stake!

Huang Shengyi sent another message: “But something’s odd. Many guys from our class have been saying they’ll go to Harvard to chase after Zhou Huimin once they become famous. Is Sister Min’s charm really that overwhelming?”

Li Wenyu was speechless again—guys from three graduating classes together? What merit do they have? Clearly, someone clever was stirring the pot to create confusion and deny the rumors.

After some thought, he began texting: “Notify everyone to start hyping Fan Bingbing and her new film Shā Tān. Our target is to break 80 million yuan at the mainland box office, chasing after Dragon Brother’s ‘Who Am I’; and to surpass 60 million in Hong Kong, chasing ‘Shaolin Soccer.’”

“Spread the news that she was once the campus queen at Normal University and is now the female lead in Zhang Guorong’s new blockbuster. Among other island and Korean beauties, few have new releases, but Bingbing is different—December 22, 8 a.m., simultaneous release in mainland and Hong Kong.”

“With the Christmas and New Year holidays approaching, she’s the leading face being pushed—the 21st century’s top Asian beauty of 2001.”

After sending a flurry of information to Huang Shengyi, he started messaging Yu Bo, Ye Jing, Xiao Yang, Zhang Songwen, and others on their chat platform.

After some busy moments, he paused to call Brother Ma: “Boss Ma, our chat group function on Penguin should be upgraded significantly to support many free features. What do you think? I won’t ask you for a creative fee on this idea.”

“Something like a public chat group, expensive but worthwhile, let the programmers go wild?”

Penguin had launched group chats this year, but its features were still behind later versions. To better manage his team, Li Wenyu wanted to help optimize and upgrade Penguin.

After some discussion, Boss Ma said, “Director Li, the website is almost done, for both internal and external use. I haven’t thought of a catchy name yet. Any ideas?”

A professional beauty pageant website going live could add more fuel to the hype.

Li Wenyu thought for a few seconds and smiled: “How about ‘Asia’s Most Beautiful Faces’?”

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At the Beijing Film Academy campus,

one exclamation after another of “Wow!” and “Damn!” echoed through dormitories and classrooms alike.

It was only on this day that many students first learned about the film Shā Tān, starring Zhang Guorong and Fan Bingbing.

How did Bingbing’s Jin Suo end up as the female lead in Zhang Tianwang’s new film? It felt like a dream.

Mainland actors trying to break into Hong Kong and Macau resources often got overshadowed, with the hottest young male stars relegated to supporting roles for newcomers or second-tier actors.

This was common, but actresses found it easier to snag leading roles. From Gong Li to Wei Zhentian, this had been the norm. Gong Li hadn’t even given up her nationality.

The path for actresses was much easier than for actors—but this was a leading lady? A Zhang Guorong blockbuster?

This bombshell left countless students at the Beijing Film Academy dazed.

At a certain male dormitory, Yu Bo, Ye Jing, Zhou Yiwei, and others were smoking together, all feeling a bit down and dizzy. Xiao Yang finally tapped Zhou Yiwei on the thigh and exclaimed, “Damn, Senior Li really kept it low-key!”

Zhou Yiwei snapped, “Why’d you hit me, you jerk?!”

Xiao Yang grinned, “We all might get to snag autographs and photos. Aren’t you happy?”

Zhou Yiwei was speechless.

The Beijing Film Academy traditionally referred to the class of ’96 as the star class, admiring their brilliance.

Yet, whether it was Huang Xiaoming or Chen Kun, even after years of hard work, they only had chances to play supporting roles in films of Zhang Guorong’s caliber.

In his internal promotional introductions, Li Wenyu didn’t reveal that he was also the screenwriter and director. The second wave of marketing focused on Zhang Guorong, Fan Bingbing, Liu Dehua, and Wang Zuxian.

Li Wenyu himself remained in the shadows.

Even so, this news exploded within the Beijing Film Academy alumni circle!

Only a handful of teachers and school leaders, already informed in advance and aware that Zhang Guorong would likely lead the team to Berlin or Cannes next year, remained calm... calm, indeed!

When Li Wenyu declared that Shā Tān’s mainland box office goal was 80 million yuan, chasing after Dragon Brother’s film, even screenwriter Zhang nearly burned his hand in excitement.

Since 1997, the “Little Cannon” had accumulated 150 million yuan in total box office over several films, becoming Huayi Brothers’ biggest asset and confidence. Old Feng’s status rivaled that of Master Zhang and Brother Kai.

If Li Wenyu could pull off 80 million yuan with a single film, this Beijing Film Academy student would be nothing short of extraordinary!