Chapter 29: The Fallen Child Star (29) Part 1

Soon, the female lead role was confirmed.

It was a familiar face—Wen Qiu.

Wen Qiu made a special call to Yao Rong to express her gratitude.

Although she was a rising star, she had mainly been in TV dramas and hadn’t been able to secure great film opportunities.

If Yao Rong hadn’t recommended her to the director, she might not have landed the lead role in this major production.

Yao Rong was modest: “I only casually suggested you. It was your acting that won over the director.”

Without talent and skill, when an opportunity arises, it can still slip through your fingers.

Wen Qiu smiled, not dwelling on the point. She simply kept the favor in mind.

“Aunt Yao, when are you joining the production?”

“After Weiheng finishes his final exams.”

Wen Qiu chuckled, “Oh, right! I forgot it’s exam season. Once you’re here, I’ll treat you both to something delicious. I know my way around this film city.”

The day after Xu Weiheng’s final exams, he flew with Yao Rong to join the crew.

Upon arrival, Wen Qiu was the first to greet them, followed closely by the director and the male lead.

After quick introductions, the director pulled Yao Rong aside. “Ms. Yao, perfect timing! I wanted to discuss some plot details with you.”

Meanwhile, Wen Qiu introduced Xu Weiheng to the male lead. “This is the Xu Weiheng I’ve been telling you about.”

The male lead, Di Zheng, already 35 years old and known in the industry as a nice guy, smiled and greeted Xu Weiheng: “Finished your exams? How did they go?”

Xu Weiheng couldn’t help but laugh. “Pretty well. Hello, Mr. Di.”

“Don’t call me ‘Mr.’ Just call me ‘brother,’ like Wen Qiu does.”

All three were eager to get along, creating a lively atmosphere.

With the main cast in harmony, the supporting actors and extras naturally followed suit. The entire crew’s atmosphere was very comfortable. Xu Weiheng felt right at home and quickly adapted to the filming process.

Over a month passed, and Xu Weiheng’s acting skills had improved significantly compared to when he filmed “Glorious Youth”.

He held his own in scenes with Di Zheng and Wen Qiu, not falling behind at all.

Moreover, his features had matured since then, shedding his youthful appearance. His overall on-screen presence had reached a new level.

After several scenes, Di Zheng smiled and asked Xu Weiheng which film school he planned to apply to.

“What do you think about our China Film University?”

Wen Qiu proudly interjected: “Too late! A month ago, I already made plans with Weiheng. He’s going to be my junior at the Central Academy of Drama.”

Di Zheng slapped his thigh in mock frustration. “You moved way too fast!”

“Good talents need to be secured early,” Wen Qiu quipped.

Di Zheng teased: “You’re talking like you’re picking vegetables?”

Xu Weiheng sat beside them, smiling as he listened to their banter.

As the director passed by and saw this scene, he remarked to the producer: “Among these three, surprisingly, Xu Weiheng looks the most composed.”

The producer of this film was the Blue Shadow executive who had met with Yao Rong earlier.

He also praised: “He’s neither arrogant nor impatient, and his acting is good. His future prospects are limitless.”

The director laughed: “That old Chen Shuangqiu spent all day hunting eagles, only to get his eye pecked by one.”

At this moment, the subject of their conversation, Director Chen, was busy filming his “Endless Darkness”.

When he heard that Xu Weiheng had taken the second male lead role in “Sunken Dust”, Director Chen snorted coldly, feeling quite displeased.

Both “Endless Darkness” and “Sunken Dust” were 300 million yuan productions. Moreover, the production companies behind them – Black Era and Blue Shadow respectively – had been arch-rivals for many years. Director Chen and the director of “Sunken Dust” were also long-time rivals, having competed against each other countless times.

However, when Director Chen invited Xu Weiheng to play the male lead in “Endless Darkness”, Xu Weiheng declined, instead taking the second male lead role in “Sunken Dust”. This greatly annoyed Director Chen, making him feel like he had lost this round.

To make up for this loss, Director Chen became even more meticulous in filming “Endless Darkness”.

As New Year’s Eve approached, the crew gave everyone a few days off.

After discussing with Xu Weiheng, Yao Rong decided not to return to D City for the holidays. Instead, they opted for a vacation in a tourist city.

After all, as long as they were together, it didn’t matter where they spent the New Year.

They enjoyed a pleasant few days before returning to the set, which resumed filming.

Another week passed, and Xu Weiheng finished all his scenes.

Since the real time-consuming part of sci-fi movies is post-production, especially the special effects, his work wrapped up relatively quickly.

On Xu Weiheng’s final day, the crew prepared a huge farewell cake for him.

After the celebration, Xu Weiheng had to fly back for school, while Yao Rong remained with the crew until all filming was completed.

By the end of February, “Sunken Dust” had finished all its scenes and entered post-production.

At this point, Tiangong Vision’s naked-eye 3D technology had fully matured and was ready for use in films.

As the post-production of “Sunken Dust” neared completion, Director Chen’s film, “Endless Darkness”, began releasing trailers, setting a release date for the Lunar New Year.

Simultaneously, several other films also announced their release dates for the New Year period.

Among them were six films with budgets exceeding 100 million yuan, including “Endless Darkness”, a spy thriller by Shuangying Pictures, and a family comedy starring several popular comedians. Each posed a serious threat—it was shaping up to be an epic showdown.

“How long until ‘Sunken Dust’ finishes post-production?” Yao Rong called Tiangong Vision to inquire about the progress.

“Half a month to a month.”

After getting a definitive answer, Yao Rong contacted the director and the head of Blue Shadow. “I suggest we set the release date for ‘Sunken Dust’ on Lunar New Year’s Eve, going head-to-head with ‘Endless Darkness’.”

The director asked, “Premiering the same day?”

“Absolutely. Our biggest competitor is ‘Endless Darkness’. If we can beat it, no other film can outdo ‘Sunken Dust’ this season.”

The goal was to dominate the New Year box office, crushing the competition with sheer force.

Pausing briefly, Yao Rong added with a grin, “And don’t forget—our target isn’t just the New Year’s champion. We’re aiming for the highest-grossing film in Chinese cinema history.”

Hearing this, the director and the head of Blue Shadow were fired up.

The director exclaimed, “You’re right. ‘Sunken Dust’ fears no one. It’s our competitors who should be scared!”

The head of Blue Shadow slammed the table. “It’s settled then!”

Half a month later, “Sunken Dust” completed its special effects and was swiftly submitted for review.

Once approved, the film immediately announced its premiere date and promised to feature revolutionary special effects technology.

Upon seeing the premiere date, Director Chen’s face darkened with anger.

However, thinking about the quality of “Endless Darkness”, his anxiety eased slightly.

After all, due to the flop of his last two films, he had spared no expense on this one, even hiring the world’s best special effects company for post-production. To his knowledge, that company wasn’t working on “Sunken Dust”.

He didn’t believe “Sunken Dust” could surpass “Endless Darkness” in special effects—surely it was just hype.

Unlike Director Chen’s dismissive attitude, many netizens expressed excitement for “Sunken Dust”.

[Three hundred million production—finally, Wen Qiu’s getting a real film opportunity!]

[The screenwriter is Yao Rong! Let’s hope “Sunken Dust” matches the quality of “Starry sky” and “Light years”!]

[Oh my, Weiheng is starring in a movie again!]

[With Wen Qiu, Xu Weiheng, and Yao Rong, I’m definitely buying a ticket.]

[Same here! I loved these three in Season 3 of “Dear Family”!]

Soon after, the first trailer for “Sunken Dust” was released, and Director Chen immediately clicked on it.

Desolate landscapes, humanity on the brink of despair, and creatures of both fortune and doom…

In just two minutes, the trailer showcased stunning, breathtaking visuals.

[If the movie can maintain even half of what was shown in the trailer, I’d gladly buy a ticket!]

[I hope it’s not just a peak trailer!]

[Damn, why does Wen Qiu only have a few seconds of screen time in this trailer?!]

[Not just Wen Qiu; Weiheng and the male lead barely have any screen time combined. I suspect the crew is intentionally keeping us wanting more!]

[Brothers, see you at the premiere!]

[See you at the premiere +1!]

Comments flooded the screen rapidly. Director Chen scanned through them irritably before turning them off altogether. He lit a cigarette and rewatched the trailer from the beginning.

After watching it again, Director Chen had to admit: The special effects in this movie… weren’t far behind those of “Endless Darkness”.

His earlier confidence began to wane as unease settled in.

Even investors called Director Chen, asking if “Endless Darkness” could win against “Sunken Dust”.

What could Director Chen say? Naturally, he reassured them repeatedly.

After hanging up, he realized he was drenched in cold sweat.

He patted his chest reassuringly: Although “Sunken Dust” had great special effects, to claim any revolutionary breakthroughs would be laughable!

Both Director Chen and netizens eagerly awaited further trailers from “Sunken Dust”. Strangely enough, the official account went silent after that—if not for occasional updates featuring stills from filming, people would have thought it was defunct.

However, Director Chen soon lost interest in following updates about “Sunken Dust”.

All his energy was devoted to promoting “Endless Darkness”.

This was his chance at redemption—a major production meant for him to bounce back.

Just as promotion for “Endless Darkness” reached its climax—one week before its premiere—”Sunken Dust” finally stirred into action.

Tiangong Vision’s official account released a statement claiming breakthroughs in film special effects technology had been achieved, completing research on naked-eye 3D technology. From now on, they declared, humanity would soon bid farewell to 3D glasses and enter an era of glasses-free 3D films.

In their final post, they tagged “Sunken Dust”‘s official account.

“Sunken Dust” promptly reposted and responded:

「Glasses-free 3D technology has been first applied in “Sunken Dust”‘s post-production. All theaters under Blue Shadow will undergo renovations—stay tuned!」

Once these two posts went live, everyone went wild!

[Is this real? When did this breakthrough happen? Why wasn’t there any buzz before?]

[Industry insiders say naked-eye 3D technology has always been an important direction for future breakthroughs, but many teams have fallen short. There were rumors Tiangong Vision achieved it—I didn’t believe it until now. I’m buying tickets ASAP!]

[Just visited a Blue Shadow theater—indeed saw renovations happening!]

[A company this big wouldn’t engage in false advertising. Even if naked-eye 3D isn’t fully mature yet, I must join in on this excitement!]

Many netizens found it hard to believe at first, but soon enough, relevant authorities confirmed its authenticity through reposts.

In their statement, the authorities declared that this technology was indeed mature; Tiangong Vision had collaborated with them long ago. In the near future, naked-eye 3D technology would not only be applicable in films but across various industries as well.

With official backing from relevant authorities, the anticipation surrounding “Sunken Dust” skyrocketed at an astonishing rate.

Some slower-reacting netizens discovered when purchasing tickets that almost all showings for “Sunken Dust” during its premiere weekend were sold out!

Especially at Blue Shadow theaters, where every seat was filled!

In such an atmosphere, the crew of “Sunken Dust” along with investors were overjoyed, while those involved with “Endless Darkness” felt quite uneasy about things unfolding.

Director Chen stared intently at the #”Sunken Dust” First To Use Naked-Eye 3D Technology# trending topic as its popularity surged into tens of millions—continuously rising—making him feel dizzy with anger, nearly fainting right then and there.

How could this be possible?

Such technology couldn’t have quietly broken through without anyone noticing!

Undoubtedly, audience interest in advanced special effects would greatly boost “Sunken Dust”‘s box office performance.

In terms of special effects alone, “Endless Darkness” had already lost out.

Regarding cast strength, while “Endless Darkness” boasted an impressive lineup, “Sunken Dust” held its own too.

Now all Director Chen could do was pray that “Sunken Dust”‘s plot would fall flat.

Restlessly sitting still, Director Chen called up friends seeking inside information about tickets for “Sunken Dust”‘s premiere, intending to watch it firsthand immediately upon release.

On New Year’s Eve at ten o’clock AM, “Endless Darkness” alongside “Sunken Dust” premiered nationwide.

…

At noon, Director Chen donned a cap for disguise and headed towards one of Blue Shadow’s cinemas.

He didn’t have to wait long before the lights dimmed inside the screening room.