EFB Chapter 10, "The Coffin in the Mountain," premieres.
Chapter 10, "The Coffin in the Mountain," premieres.
November 25, Beijing.
Premiere of "The Coffin in the Mountain".
Gao Huan stood backstage, wearing a dark blue suit, a white shirt, and no tie.
He deliberately combed his hair back today, revealing his entire face.
Her features were deep-set and well-defined, with a beauty mark at the corner of her eye that was faintly visible under the light.
He doesn't look like he's 22 years old; he looks more like a mature and composed actor.
Instead of popular celebrities.
This is what he wanted.
Li Hong stood next to him, looking down at her cue cards.
She is today's host, specially invited by Gao Huan. She has strong stage presence and her own understanding of film.
"Are you nervous?" Li Hong looked up at Gao Huan.
"I'm not nervous," Gao Huan said.
Li Hong laughed: "I have a good attitude. My hands were shaking when I first started broadcasting."
Gao Huan glanced at her: "You don't seem like the type to get nervous."
"Anyone in this line of work can act."
After Li Hong finished speaking, she realized what she had said, and smiled again, "I wasn't talking about you."
Gao Huan's lips curled slightly, but he didn't reply.
The backstage door was pushed open, and Yangyang Jin poked half her head in: "Brother Huan, Sister Bingbing and Sister Xue have arrived."
Gao Huan nodded and walked out.
Li Bingbing and Li Xue came together.
Li Bingbing wore a black long dress and her hair was styled in an updo, looking very formal.
Li Xue wore a white suit, looking capable and sharp, clearly there to make a statement.
"Xiao Huan." Li Bingbing walked over and looked him up and down. "You look very handsome today."
"Thank you, Aunt Bing."
Li Bingbing patted his shoulder, her voice lowering:
"I've attended many premieres, but this is the first time I've come as an 'investor'."
"Your aunt is so proud today."
Gao Huan smiled and said, "The movie is good, not because of me."
"Come on," Li Bingbing rolled her eyes at him. "I don't know if the movie is good or not, but I know your acting is good."
Li Xue stood to the side, not saying much, just nodding and giving a "do a good job" look.
Gao Huan nodded to her.
After exchanging a few words, Gao Huan returned to the backstage area.
Li Hong was already preparing, and when she saw Gao Huan come in, she gave him an OK sign.
At this moment, two more people arrived.
Chen Yao and Jin Chen.
Chen Yao wore a white dress, her hair was loose, and she looked cool and clean.
She came with Jin Chen, and the two of them were talking as they walked. When they saw Gao Huan, Chen Yao waved.
"Brother Huan." She walked over.
"We're here," Gao Huan said.
Chen Yao glanced at his suit, smiled slightly, and said, "You look handsome today, but not as handsome as usual."
Jin Chen burst out laughing from the side.
Gao Huan glanced at Chen Yao: "You look beautiful today too."
"Of course," Chen Yao said matter-of-factly, then pulled Jin Chen to find a seat.
As Jin Chen left, he glanced back at Gao Huan, smiled, and said nothing.
Gao Huan watched them walk away, then turned around to go find Li Hong.
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
Chen Yao, the apartment he rented was right downstairs from Chen Yao's apartment building.
Not a coincidence.
He did it on purpose.
He needs that apartment.
And now, Chen Yao herself is standing in front of him, wearing a white dress, smiling like a high school student.
Gao Huan suppressed the thought and walked to the side of the front desk, preparing to enter.
……
The premiere starts at 7 p.m.
By 6:30, the theater was already full.
The media area was filled with cameras and microphones, flashes going off constantly. The audience seats were occupied by many industry professionals, as well as some ordinary audience members who had won tickets through a raffle.
Li Hong stood on the stage, wearing a red dress, with a proper smile.
"Distinguished guests, friends from the media, good evening. Welcome to the premiere of the film 'The Coffin in the Mountain'."
applause.
"The Coffin in the Mountain is a low-budget film, but it is by no means niche."
It used a budget of 170 million to tell a story that surprised everyone.
Multiple narratives, dark humor, and the darker side of human nature. This film contains things you wouldn't expect.
Li Hong paused, glanced at the cue card in her hand, and smiled.
"Of course, another highlight of this movie is our male lead, Gao Huan."
A scream erupted from the audience.
Gao Huan hasn't even appeared yet, but just hearing his name has already excited the fans.
Li Hong and the others' screams subsided slightly, and she continued:
"Gao Huan's performance in 'Swords of Legends' is evident to all, but his role in 'The Coffin in the Mountain' is different."
Here, he's not a handsome man in period dramas, nor a popular idol; he plays a college student struggling with inner turmoil after accidentally killing someone.
The audience quieted down a bit.
Li Hong looked at the audience and said seriously, "This is a completely different Gao Huan. You'll see when you watch the movie."
"Now, let's give a warm round of applause to the creative team behind 'The Coffin in the Mountain'."
Applause erupted, and the lights shone to the side.
Gao Huan was the first to come out.
When he walked out from behind the side curtain, he gave off a completely different vibe than usual.
His expression was calm; he neither smiled nor tried to appear tense.
The stage lights flashed wildly.
Gao Huan walked to the center of the stage and stood next to Li Hong.
"Gao Huan, please say hello to everyone first," Li Hong said.
"Hello everyone, I am Gao Huan, and I play Xiao Zongyao in 'The Coffin in the Mountain'."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was steady, like a nail being hammered into wood.
Another scream erupted from the audience.
After the screams subsided, Li Hong and the others smiled and asked, "There's a question I'd like to ask on behalf of everyone."
Why did you take on this film? It had a budget of 170 million yuan, the director Qi Yukun had never made a feature film before, and the subject matter was an art-house suspense film.
To be honest, this was a rather risky choice.
Gao Huan glanced at her, then looked down at the audience.
"Because the script is good."
That's all.
Li Hong waited a few seconds, and seeing that he didn't seem inclined to continue, she smiled: "Just those four words?"
"Just those four words," Gao Huan said. "A good script doesn't need much explanation."
Some people in the audience laughed.
Li Hong didn't press further, knowing that Gao Huan wasn't the type to talk a lot.
Next, director Qi Yukun and other lead actors took to the stage to give a brief introduction to the film.
The premiere was short, lasting only twenty minutes.
The most crucial part is the movie viewing that follows.
Gao Huan came down from the stage, walked to the first row of the audience, and sat down next to Li Bingbing.
Li Bingbing turned her head and whispered, "Wasn't your answer too short?"
"That's enough," Gao Huan said.
Li Bingbing glanced at him but didn't say anything more.
The lights in the theater dimmed.
The screen lights up.
……
The story of "The Coffin in the Mountain" takes place in a remote mountain village.
Gao Huan plays Xiao Zongyao, a college student who accidentally kills someone on his way back to his village, which then begins a struggle about lies, escapism, and humanity.
The film uses a multi-narrative structure, with the timeline disrupted, requiring the audience to piece together the truth themselves.
Gao Huan's performance in the movie is completely different from his performance in "Swords of Legends".
There was no handsome appearance, no flowing clothing.
He was wearing a regular T-shirt and jeans, with no makeup on his face; you could even see the pores and acne scars on his skin.
His eyes are the most terrifying thing in this movie.
There's a scene where Xiao Zongyao kills someone and then hides on the mountain, looking down at the village below.
The camera zoomed in on his face.
There was no fear or regret in his eyes, but a strange emptiness.
It was as if the soul had been extracted from the body, leaving only a still-breathing shell.
The theater was very quiet.
No one spoke, no one played on their phones, everyone was staring at the screen.
Li Bingbing sat next to Gao Huan without saying a word the whole time.
Her expression was complex. There was satisfaction, pride, but more than anything, a sense of certainty that "I knew this would happen."
Chen Yao sat in the back row, next to Jin Chen.
Chen Yao watched very attentively, without getting distracted at all.
She could tell that Gao Huan's performance in this movie was completely different from his performance in the TV series.
This is not the acting skill of a "traffic star".
This is the acting skill of a true actor.
Jin Chen was also watching, but half of her attention was on the screen and the other half on Gao Huan.
……
When the movie ended, the lights in the theater came back on.
There was a moment of silence, then applause broke out.
Someone stood up and applauded.
Then more people stood up.
Gao Huan stood up, turned around, and looked at the people below the stage who had stood up and were applauding.
His expression remained calm, but there was something more in his eyes.
Li Hong walked onto the stage and picked up the microphone: "I watched it twice. The first time I watched it, I felt like my brain couldn't keep up. The second time I watched it, I felt like my heart couldn't keep up."
This movie is worth watching two, even three times.
Someone in the audience shouted, "Bravo!"
Li Hong smiled: "Next is the Q&A session with the media."
The reporters raised their hands.
The first question was direct: "Gao Huan, your performance in this film is different from all your previous works. How did you prepare?"
Gao Huan picked up the microphone, thought for a moment, and said, "Experiential learning."
I lived in the village for two weeks, eating and sleeping with the locals, without using a cell phone or contacting the outside world.
The reporter paused, then asked, "That's all?"
That's all.
Gao Huan said, "I transformed myself into Xiao Zongyao, and then made Xiao Zongyao do those things. It wasn't me acting; it was him who did them."
There was a moment of silence in the audience.
This is not something a "celebrity with high online traffic" would say.
This is something an "actor" would say.
The second question: "What were your considerations when you invested in this film?"
Gao Huan glanced at the director, Qi Yukun, who was looking at him with a slightly nervous expression.
"Because director Qi Yukun couldn't find the money."
Gao Huan said in a calm tone, as if he were talking about something insignificant, "170 million is a huge sum of money for him, but for me it's the price of a role. I thought the role was worth 170 million, so I invested."
The audience laughed.
Director Qi Yukun's eyes were a little red.
The third question: "What are your expectations for the box office performance of this film?"
Gao Huan thought for a moment and said a number: "Let's say a small goal, one hundred million RMB."
The audience erupted in uproar.
With a budget of 1.7 million, they're aiming for a box office of 100 million.
This is no longer "confidence," this is "arrogance."
The reporter pressed further, "What makes you think it can sell for 100 million?"
Gao Huan looked at her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Because the audience isn't stupid."
After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the audience, and then applause broke out.
It wasn't because what he said made a lot of sense, but because the confident and unhurried tone he used when he said it made people feel that he was serious.
He was stating a fact.
At least he believed it to be true.
……
It was almost 10 p.m. when the premiere ended.
Gao Huan stood at the entrance of the theater and saw Li Bingbing and Li Xue off.
"Xiao Huan, you did a great job today," Li Bingbing said. "But is the figure of 100 million yuan at the box office a bit too high?"
"Not high," Gao Huan said. "Aunt Bing, you'll know when you get back and check the data."
Li Bingbing glanced at him, didn't ask any more questions, and turned to get into the car.
Before getting into the car, Li Xue glanced back at Gao Huan and said four words: "Act well."
Gao Huan nodded.
The car drove away.
Chen Yao and Jin Chen came out of the theater. Chen Yao was holding the bouquet of flowers in her hand, and Jin Chen followed behind her.
"Brother Huan, the movie was really good," Chen Yao said.
"Thanks."
"I just saw a reporter post on WeChat Moments saying that 'The Coffin in the Mountain' is the most underrated film of the year." Chen Yao held up her phone to show Gao Huan.
Gao Huan glanced at it but didn't say anything.
Jin Chen stood to the side, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Brother Huan, congratulations."
"Thanks."
The two stood there in silence for a few seconds.
Jin Chen opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end he just smiled and said, "Then I'll go first. Yao Yao, let's go."
Chen Yao waved to Gao Huan and left with Jin Chen.
Gao Huan stood at the entrance of the theater, watching them walk away.
Yangyang Jin walked over: "Brother Huan, the car is at the door."
"Um."
Gao Huan got into the car and leaned back in his seat.
Yangyang Jin, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced back at him and asked, "How was your day?"
"good."
"A box office of 100 million? Are you serious?"
Gao Huan glanced at her: "What do you think?"
Yangyang Jin thought for a moment and said, "I think you're right, the audience isn't stupid."
Gao Huan's lips curled slightly, but he didn't say anything.
My phone vibrated.
He looked down and saw a message from Nazha.
"I'm in Hengdian, just finished filming. I saw the news about your premiere, congratulations on your first movie premiere! A small goal of 100 million, that's amazing!"
It was followed by a string of exclamation marks and a cat emoji.
Gao Huan replied, "Mm."
Nazha replied instantly: "Just one word???"
Gao Huan did not reply.
Half a minute later, Nazha posted another message: "Never mind, I know you're busy. I'll come to Beijing to see you the day after tomorrow."
Gao Huan replied, "Okay."
Lock the screen and put the phone in your pocket.
The car drove through the night of Beijing, neon lights flowing past the windows.
Gao Huan closed his eyes.
I went through the scenes of today in my mind.
Chen Duling's tears when filming wrapped, the audience's applause at the premiere, the reporters' questioning looks, and that number "one hundred million".
The cost was 1.7 million, but the box office was 100 million.
A return on investment of 5.8 times.
The system points should increase by more than ten million.
He can also use this film to tell everyone that Gao Huan is not just a popular celebrity, but also an excellent actor.
This is what he truly wants.
The car was parked downstairs at the apartment building.
Gao Huan opened his eyes and looked at the building outside the window.
He opened the car door and got out.
A cool night breeze was blowing.
He walked into the building and pressed the elevator button.
Before the elevator doors closed, he took out his phone and glanced at the message Chen Duling had sent him.
"I'm leaving. Thank you for taking care of me these past two months. The white lily bulb is beautiful. There are still three days left of our two-week agreement, but it's okay, I've already made a profit."
He stared at the smiling face for a few seconds, then put his phone back in his pocket.
The elevator doors closed.
There are other things to do tomorrow.
Meng Ziyi hasn't replied yet.
The first phase of the 1123 theory is still underway.
As for Chen Duling...
She'll probably forget him eventually.
If you can't forget, then there's nothing you can do.