Translator-Rhapsodite
Editor- yuki_shuichi, Proofreader- adjective
The afternoon variety show schedule was indeed just as Gu Yuzhou spoiled.
After Ren Qinming left, the production team instructed all the guests to get into the nanny car, and they drove on the winding mountain road for about forty minutes.
Finally, they all saw the indigenous people of this mountain, apart from them—Tile-Roofed Tea Village.
Here, mountains were connected to more mountains, and villages were scattered throughout the mountains. The tea trees on both sides of the road were littered throughout, and each was greener than the next.
The nanny car drove into the entrance of the village, and most of the people walking with their hands behind their backs on the road were elderly. Everyone was dressed plainly, occasionally glancing at the nanny car.
People familiar with the situation introduced it in the barrage.
Because it would take at least an hour to travel in and out of the mountains, and the resources in the mountains were limited, there were very few young people who lived there permanently.
Usually, it was the working-age members of the family who went out to work, leaving the elderly unwilling to leave their hometown. They stayed with familiar neighbors and grew tea leaves as a good source of income.
[Then the problem arises. I live in City A, can I ask, if I hurry over, will I make it in time, starry eyes]
[The person above, stop thinking about it. If you aren’t a local, then few people would dare to drive on that mountain road. Also, the program team has people blocking the road at the bottom of the mountain. Even if you hid from the program team and secretly got in, you definitely couldn’t find a car willing to drive up the mountain.]
[Raises hand, I’m a local. The road up the mountain is difficult to drive, and when I’m driving, I have to focus 120,000% of my energy on driving. Guys, don’t be so impulsive.]
[I’m regretting it, I’m regretting it. I’m already regretting the fact that an unfilial son like me hasn’t gone back to my hometown to see Grandpa and Grandma, 15551]
[Me too! I just went back last week to sleep over for a bit, but the internet sucks, the signal sucks, and I really couldn’t hold on, so I left the mountain early. Now I regret it, really regret it, crying.jpg x3]
The livestream chat room was buzzing with excitement as the nanny car entered the village and within two minutes, it brought everyone to an outdoor theater.
They said it was a movie theater, but in reality, it was just a spacious and sloping piece of land, as if it were a scene from the ’70s or ’80s.
It was said that the village chief would organize events once a week.
The elderly folks in the village were used to it. When it was almost time, they started moving benches and chairs from their homes, arranging them neatly in rows in front of the projection screen.
The weather had changed from sunny in the morning to overcast with dark clouds, but there was no sign of rain. The gloomy atmosphere created a dim, hazy light that was perfect for watching movies.
Even though everyone in the village was elderly and probably didn’t know these new-generation artists, they still wanted to blend in and not stand out too much. So, before setting off, everyone followed the instructions from the production team and put on their plainest clothes.
They even brought their benches.
There were quite a few people coming and going at the scene, it looked like almost half of the village had gathered. Some even came on tricycles, especially those who lived far away and didn’t bring their benches. They just sat in their vehicles to watch.
Surprisingly, they managed to blend in, wearing masks amid the crowd, quietly moving the benches to the back row.
The projection screen was already set up, and the production team was openly setting up their filming equipment nearby.
The villagers chatted away, talked about various things, and didn’t pay any attention to the camera.
[Why, I don’t understand. These elderly people shouldn’t be actors that the program team hired right, question mark.jpg]
[Raising my hand again, no, they aren’t. It’s just that the scenery in our village is good, and the architecture is a bit more tasteful, so TV stations, production teams, and students from academic institutions filming for projects will often come to this village to film the scenery, and everyone is already used to it.]
[Although I’m not from this village, I live nearby. The forest on that mountain is quite sentimental. Every week, they’ll organize a movie viewing for everyone, and I will also use my camera to film the process to commemorate it.]
Over time, the villagers, despite living in the deep mountains, became more familiar with cameras than most city folk.
Occasionally, when they saw young people like Ruan Song coming in cars, they thought it was for filming again.
The movie was scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
By the time Ruan Song and the others settled into their seats, it was almost time.
The director’s team didn’t tell them in advance what movie they would be watching today, only that it was related to the guest they would be welcoming next.
Qin Sijia and Zheng Qing guessed that they might be the main actors in the movie or something.
But Ruan Song knew that the director of “Blue Lake” was a struggling artist before winning awards, so he didn’t have much money.
Not only was the theme of the movie, not a typical commercial film, but the actors they hired were also unknown. So it was not possible to invite the main actors.
The last time Ruan Song watched this movie was when he had just started renting a place with Chen Yan.
The two screenwriters closed the door, pulled the curtains, and placed their computer chairs side by side in front of the computer desk. They didn’t exchange a single word throughout the whole time and quietly watched the entire movie.
Because Ruan Song found movie theaters too noisy, he hadn’t been to one in a long time.
He thought that in an outdoor movie theater like this, people would probably be chatting and snacking on melon seeds.
But to his surprise, as soon as the clock struck five, the projection screen lit up and the opening credits started playing. The lively villagers in the audience immediately fell silent.
Everyone focused their attention and raised their heads, staring at the screen with the words “Blue Lake” displayed.
Even Ruan Song heard the first idle comment from his companion.
Zheng Qing, in a very low voice, whispered that he had heard of this movie but hadn’t seen it before, and he thought they would show something more popular and easy to understand.
Jiang Qiqi was also worried, saying, “Can the elderly understand this type of film…”
The bullet screen already started flooding with question marks.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Vlcmf cb bcf tjv rffc atlr wbnlf, la vlvc’a joofma fnfgsbcf’r ufcfgji ecvfgrajcvlcu bo atf oliw’r rasif.
[Not to mention the elderly from the mountain, even my mom and dad probably can’t understand it.]
[Not even my mom and dad, I don’t even understand it myself.]
[No way, what are they thinking, having the elderly watch such an artistic film???]
[I’ve watched this film before. It is a good movie, and it isn’t an art film, but the topic isn’t commonly seen……]
[It has a score of 9 on Douban, but only 130,000 people rated it, just, you guys understand right?]
[Ah this, turns out it’s this. My roommate pulled me to watch it together, and the both of us fell asleep. Awkward.jpg]
[Sorry, I’m already a bit angry. Can I understand it as, for the villagers to accommodate the program team, they made a last-minute choice for the movie??]
[I don’t understand, if they just wanted to bring out the flying guest, they could have the five of them watch it in the wood cabin with the doors shut. Why did they have to drag the elderly villagers into the water? What kind of animosity is this???]
Ktf yeiifa rmgffc yfujc ab xlmx eq j oerr jcv gfrqbcvfv fc wjrrf.
Helaf j ofk qfbqif tjv jigfjvs yfuec rmbivlcu bc atf qeyilm rmgffc, offilcu jr lo atfs tjv wlrpevufv atf qgbugjw afjw.
They even brought up cultural bullying.
They believe that the production team was arrogant by making villagers from the mountains watch a movie that not even young people might be able to sit through.
And after this kind of criticism was entered as a caption on the bullet screen, the discourse only grew louder and louder.
Because at the beginning of the movie “Blue Lake,” there was a full five-minute scene where the camera focused on two old people sitting at the entrance lobby picking vegetables, and they didn’t move. It was a dialogue that seemed quite lengthy and nonsensical to them.
The bullet screen went crazy, @-ing the production team and cursing them.
Even Liang Yi couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the villagers’ reactions halfway through and found that everyone was still the same as when the movie had just started.
It was unknown whether they were listening to instructions to act or if they were willing to watch this film.
“Will we get criticized?” Jiang Qiqi couldn’t help but bury herself in his arms and whisper.
After being in the entertainment industry for a long time, everyone has a certain sensitivity to these things.
“They might have already started criticizing.” Liang Yi looked less optimistic, and he lowered his head to take out his phone and check the barrage in the live chat.
Ruan Song didn’t plan to interrupt, but he had a “cleanliness obsession” when it came to watching movies. He couldn’t stand someone next to him not being focused, let alone looking at their phone.
He reached out and pressed down on Liang Yi’s phone directly, wearing a mask, and said in a muffled voice, “Since we’re here, let’s watch it till the end.”
Liang Yi and Jiang Qiqi exchanged a subtle glance.
Although they didn’t intentionally get distracted, they couldn’t help but feel like they were naughty kids caught doing something wrong.
If Ruan Song didn’t remember wrong, this movie wasn’t that long. It would end in about an hour and a half.
But even after just half an hour, Qin Sijia and Zheng Qing couldn’t hold on and started whispering to each other.
Liang Yi and Jiang Qiqi wanted to whisper too, but they just got caught by Ruan Song earlier, and the atmosphere was really quiet.
While Liang Yi avoided Ruan Song’s gaze, he quietly glanced around to tally up the audience.
This open-air movie theater didn’t include the scattered people sitting on tricycles or motorcycles on the sides. In the middle, there were at least six rows of benches, with each row accommodating around twelve to thirteen people. Roughly estimating, there were nearly a hundred people.
But surprisingly, out of this nearly hundred villagers, except for a few who occasionally glance down at their old-fashioned phones, not a single person spoke idle gossip.
On the contrary, it was the few “guests who were supposed to understand” that felt out of place in the middle.
Gradually, the bullet screen of criticism also ceased.
[What the, how come these grandmas and grandpas are watching so seriously, my entire head is filled with question marks???]
[Are you sure they’re not actors? @Program team, question mark.jpg x3]
[I just yawned several times. I’m just like Sijia, I want to walk after sitting too long, but also am too embarrassed to move xs]
[I just searched it up, this film focuses on the social issues of the elderly, who are left behind to take care of things. I’m dumbfounded, I still actually thought it was just to show the daily life of the villagers. They didn’t directly talk about the matter of being left behind to take care of things.]
[That may be so, but could it be that I was the only one who stared at Ruan Song’s face from beginning to end? Teacher Ruan being focused is also too amazing, pitiful.jpg]
[No, no, no, me too! It’s like there’s a light in his eyes, pervert.jpg]
[Ah, the grandmas, grandpas, and Teacher Ruan are all watching so seriously. Suddenly I started to suspect that I was the clown myself……]
Out of the five guests, the only one who watched the movie attentively from start to finish alongside the villagers was Ruan Song.
Qin Sijia, separated by Liang Yi and Jiang Qiqi, felt the urge countless times to question him and ask exactly what was so interesting about this film.
But Ruan Song’s eyes were fixed on the projection screen, completely absorbed, like a monk in deep meditation, unable to receive any signals.
This contrast was like two different worlds, one was the top students and the others were the underachievers.
They could completely imagine how Ruan Song studied to obtain the grades to be recommended to University A, and it made Qin Sijia feel embarrassed to disturb him.
When they endured until the end of the movie, thinking they could finally speak, the villagers faced the darkened projection screen in silence for a long time.
The barrage of comments once thought it was their internet connection issue.
[What happened? Why aren’t they speaking?]
[Wait a minute, what the fuck. Is that grandma in the lower left corner, wiping her tears??]
At this point, the sky was already completely dark.
It wasn’t until the village cadre turned on the front lights that everyone realized more than just one or two people were wiping away tears.
The barrage of comments and Qin Sijia looked at the scene before them, completely shaken and unable to move.
After a short while, one of the village leaders appeared in front of the projection screen with a microphone. “We will still keep the ten minutes of free discussion time, just like before. If anyone has something they want to share, feel free to come up and use the microphone.”
The bullet screen, Qin Sijia, and the others watched the situation in front of them and were so shocked they were unable to move a step.
One by one, people consciously formed a long queue to take the microphone.
Someone said that the protagonist killing a chicken was the same as their habit.
Someone said they also loved standing on the mountain with their hands behind their back, gazing into the distance for a long time.
The comments were not long, and at first listen, they didn’t seem very substantial, far from reaching the level of openness that everyone had in their hearts to share.
But the other villagers in the audience seemed to deeply empathize with those sentiments.
Just when they were still in a daze, along with the barrage of comments, the director’s team suddenly appeared behind them without anyone noticing.
Seemingly thinking that they had come up with an incomprehensible trick, the director himself looked pleased. “So, can you guess who the guest we invited this time is? If you guess correctly, you’ll win a thousand yuan as a living allowance.”
Liang Yi had always been an activist. Not understanding the movie didn’t mean he couldn’t search for a film review on Baidu.
Even before he realized that he couldn’t grasp the essence of this film, he had already compiled a table of all the behind-the-scenes award-winning information, with solid evidence. “It should be the director, right? The director and screenwriter of this film are the same person, and it’s the debut work of a newcomer director. Because of this film, their popularity skyrocketed and they became famous overnight.”
The director group grew even more upset and was about to generously let the five of them discuss it further.
But suddenly, Ruan Song interjected, “The executive producer. The flying guest is the film’s executive producer.”
Everyone, “?”
Generally, those who paid attention to the behind-the-scenes post-production personnel would at most look at the director and the screenwriter. If not, then they would look at the filmmaker. Who would remember to look at the executive producer?
Liang Yi scrolled through the table in his hand and didn’t see the name of the producer.
As for whether this answer was correct or not, the incredulous expression on the director’s team’s faces said it all.
They all looked at each other as if they had seen a ghost. “Wow, what the heck! Do you have a mole inside our team? How do you know all this??”
Ruan Song didn’t want to deceive anyone and came clean. “I’ve seen this film before.”
Everyone, “???”
Qin Sijia and the others couldn’t believe their ears.
[He’s already seen it once, but he could still watch it so seriously just now?! Pupils shaking.jpg]
Ruan Song was about to explain, but suddenly a young man’s voice came from the other side of the crowd. “I mean, this kind of low-quality film that relies on connections doesn’t sell well outside. Are you still trying to deceive the elderly in the village?”
Everyone turned their heads in response.
The man who stood up from his seat looked quite young, probably a college student who came back to visit his grandparents in the village. He wore glasses and seemed well-mannered and educated, but his words were quite harsh, completely disregarding the fact that he interrupted the villager who was still speaking on stage.
“I heard from my grandparents that each household in the village pays five yuan per month, and they were happy to have movie screenings organized. So, I decided to join them today and see what it’s all about. But what we got was just some deceiving stuff. I can’t help but suspect that you’re just trying to make money.”
That guy directly pointed his finger at the village office’s secretary on the stage.
The secretary’s skin was suntanned, and the forty-something-year-old man also looked quite honest. Faced with the sudden questioning, he seemed at a loss for words. “How could ‘Blue Lake’ be deceiving? This film even won awards…”
“Douban has torn it apart. The director of this film is unknown, but the producer is well-known. He was the director’s college professor. ‘Blue Lake’ was just a graduation project under his guidance. The award was probably given out of respect for the producer. If you want to collect money for movie screenings, you can just show any lighthearted film. Why sell anxiety with these stupid movies? It’s like we, who are away from home, intentionally don’t come back to visit our elders.”
That guy raised his phone, showing a “whistleblower” page, and started firing off a rapid string of words like a machine gun, raining down accusations and criticisms.
The secretary was completely taken aback by this barrage. He had never experienced such an intense confrontation before. “I… I don’t know about the director’s background or anything like that. I genuinely thought this film was well-made and wanted to share it with everyone. I thought it would resonate with people, and I had no intention of selling unease or anything like that…”
But the guy wouldn’t let it go. His words became increasingly impolite, “Can you officials show something lighthearted? There are so many comedy films, but you insist on showing this one. If I hadn’t randomly decided to come back, I wouldn’t even know what my grandparents watch every day. Even if they aren’t sick, you’d make them sick!”
Now, not only the secretary but even the bullet comments were left dumbfounded.
[What the hell is up with this guy? Although I also can’t see how this movie is good, what if the children here learn his bad behavior and play like this with their parents??]
[Are you sure he’s a student who’s studying at a university? I’m completely confused, question mark.jpg]
[There’s nothing wrong with bringing up your complaints, but you can’t speak so impolitely. Everyone there is older than him, haa]
[No need to say anything else, I bet he definitely doesn’t know there’s a variety show broadcast there today……]
Not only did the guy not know, but he continued his criticism with enthusiasm, “The problem is, you say you think this film is good, but I genuinely don’t understand how you haven’t seen better movies. Are you always stuck in the mountains and haven’t seen the world? This film is just a high-concept narrative using ‘left-behind elderly’ as a gimmick to deceive the box office and generate buzz. What’s so special about it that it’s worth watching?”
[?????]
[Why is this person still personally attacking others?]
[Ok, let me apologize to the program team, this is cultural bullying, goodbye.jpg]
[SOS help, my anger burst up in a second. Has no one taught him how to speak nicely?]
The director’s team was completely caught off guard, and it was clear that this argument was not part of their plan.
It was true that “Blue Lake” was a serious film that critiqued realism.
Compared to the common linear narrative, the film extensively showcases the local customs and cultural environment of the loess land. It perfectly aligned with the core theme and the tea village and could be considered an authentic portrayal of the mountain people.
The original plan of the director’s team was to initially confuse the audience and guests and then have the elderly people take the stage to reveal that the film was very close to their lives as left-behind elderly.
Everyone didn’t understand and found it boring just because they hadn’t personally experienced it. It was meant to create an emotional twist.
But how did it turn out…
Qin Sijia was indeed hot-tempered, and her sense of justice was on the brink of explosion. She was about to stand up and refute.
Someone who was least expected to speak suddenly spoke up, “Using ‘left-behind elderly’ as a high-concept narrative gimmick? I find it strange who exactly hasn’t seen the world.”
[!!!]
Everyone turned their heads in shock to look at Ruan Song.
The secretary on stage would never have thought someone out there would help him out.
Others didn’t know, but he knew that those few were celebrities. Their live streams were still on, and he didn’t want things to escalate. He wanted to advise that guy to let it go.
But as soon as that guy heard someone questioning him, he got even more worked up and immediately looked at him, saying, “Who are you? Why are you wearing a mask? I mind my own grandparents’ affairs. If you have nothing to do with our village, then don’t butt in, okay? High-concept narratives are just Hollywood’s way of tricking the audience for box office marketing. It’s just fooling those who don’t understand.”
As a professional, Ruan Song usually didn’t bother with people outside the industry and their conceptual questions.
However, this boy talked so much rubbish so confidently, embarrassing himself in front of an expert, that others felt compelled to throw a bowl or two of cold water at him to calm him down.
It just so happened that sitting here for an hour and a half without moving was a good time to get up and stretch.
“It’s amazing how someone can learn a few of these phrases and start spouting nonsense everywhere.”
Amidst everyone’s gaze, Ruan Song confidently took off his mask and stood up. With a commanding presence of 2.8 meters, he hadn’t even opened his mouth yet, but his mere presence carried a pre-installed teaching buff, as if imperceptibly warning everyone that he was about to say something important.
“In the film and television industry, project evaluations are usually done with a ‘brief summary.’ The reason is that a brief summary can quickly evoke audience associations and curiosity. What you just mentioned about the elderly left behind can at most be considered a ‘brief summary,’ but ‘high-concept storytelling’ refers to a premise of a simple and understandable story that can drive narrative and even marketing. It is indeed a common technique used in Hollywood in recent years. However, it is often based upon an unconventional reality, which is not the same thing at all.”
[?????]
The bullet screen was filled with “fuck.”
[This is the first time Ruan Song has said such a long sentence. Right? Right!! I’m dead, I’ve been attacked to death by his handsomeness!!!]
[Although my head is empty and I didn’t understand what he said, this output of words is too cool wuwuwu]
[Ahhhhhh, Teacher Ruan, hurry up and kill him! Hearing him talk makes people angry!!]
[So Teacher Ruan is a professional! Or else, why would he even understand these things? Pervert.jpg]
[It’s refreshing hearing Teacher Ruan scold others!!!]
When the guy heard Ruan Song speak, he knew he had probably encountered a tough opponent, but he didn’t want to back down because of his pride. He said, “How is it not the same? I think it’s the same. You said it’s a marketing tactic. Don’t they use ‘left-behind elderly’ as a tagline for promoting those crappy movies all the time?”
Ruan Song didn’t waste any time and started giving examples directly. “Zombie movies are high-concept storytelling. The premise is a virus outbreak, zombies running rampant, and humans having to find ways to survive. ‘Triangle,’ ‘Groundhog Day,’ and ‘Source Code’ are also examples of high-concept narratives where the protagonist gets trapped in a time loop. So, may I ask, what high-concept element does ‘Blue Lake’ with its ‘left-behind elderly’ bring to the table?”
The guy stubbornly insisted, “Even if it’s not high-concept, this movie is still garbage! What kind of nonsense did they film? Some random stuff from the countryside can even win awards. Isn’t it all because of producer Jiang Zhi’s connections?”
While the two of them were arguing, the barrage of comments had already dug up all the information about “Jiang Zhi.”
Indeed, he was a big shot without a doubt.
All the projects produced by Jiang Zhi were well-known films that either had massive box-office success or won numerous awards.
Ruan Song couldn’t help but laugh and raised an eyebrow in response. “Why don’t you ask your grandparents if their daily lives, which you call ‘random stuff,’ are unworthy of recognition?”
The guy was indeed stumped.
Ruan Song explained his creative intention in a few words, making it crystal clear, “If you found ‘Blue Lake’ dull and boring, then the director has achieved his purpose. He intentionally portrayed a monotonous life because that’s the reality for many people.”
[!!!]
The bullet screen suddenly achieved supreme enlightenment.
[‘Emptily sitting around in vain is the truest portrayal of their life’, what the, is he some supernatural being, how could he say such words!!!]
[Ah, I suddenly remembered the villagers who just went on stage to give a speech……]
[Who was so moved that they suddenly started crying, turns out it’s me, 15551]
After the dispute, the situation was quite clear.
The secretary stood on the stage, at a loss for words. Before he could say anything, he watched helplessly as the embarrassed guy stormed off from the open-air cinema in anger.
It was a clear victory for Ruan Song.
As the closest person to Ruan Song, Jiang Qiqi watched from beginning to end and felt her blood rushing up. She grabbed Ruan Song’s sleeve and shook it wildly, whispering, “Brother Song, you’re so cool when you clap back at people!!”
But Ruan Song didn’t show any joy of being the winner on his face. It was as if he had just witnessed an injustice and casually kicked away a dead rat on the road. He calmly sat down, opened the thermos cup that Ren Qinming had prepared for him, and moisturized his throat.
Then he turned his head towards the camera and said, “Don’t go digging up personal information, or else people might accuse me of bullying.”
[…………?]
The bullet screen was directly spoken to by Ruan Song for the first time and immediately grew crazy, and the entire screen was filled with their excited “Ahhhhhhhh”.
[No one has any problems with me saying that Teacher Ruan is the most hooking beauty, right!!]
[No need to vote, there’s no need to vote. I announce that from now on, Teacher Ruan is my life!!!]
Great job RS!
Thank You for the new chapter ♡╰(⸝⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝⸝)╯♡
Thank you for the chapter!
Ahh Ruan Song badass !! I feel like I say this every chapter 😂 I feel like people will finally realize he is in the film industry. I can’t wait until his grievances from college are aired and he can reclaim his spot on the top as he deserves:(