Not long after, Li Shishi's movie premiered in Shanghai. Thanks to Jin Shaoyan's strong appeal, quite a few stars from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan attended. If I hadn't been tied up, I really wanted to take Baozi and join in the fun, but the other members of the group of five were already there.
The film is 80 minutes long but cost 67 million RMB. It features no stars whatsoever; the male lead doesn't even appear on screen. Such a film, while perhaps unprecedented, is certainly unparalleled. Only I know that this oddity was born entirely due to the powerful support of Jin Shaoyan, from its vision to its financial backing. If it weren't for Li Shishi directing, even the most renowned directors in China wouldn't have attracted investors to attempt such a film—a film without stars or grand scenes, yet with a massive budget.
Although I couldn't be there in person, Jin Shaoyan naturally arranged for someone to livestream the event for Baozi and me. After the lively entrance and performances of the stars, the film began with a chaotic scene of a woman giving birth—a rather unremarkable opening. The baby about to be born was Li Shishi. The baby later grew into a little girl, but her father died unjustly in prison, and Li Shishi was adopted by a brothel madam…
I only learned after watching the film that Li Shishi's original surname was indeed Wang. The entire movie didn't excite me much, nor did it make me yawn constantly; it was just an ordinary story, without even using a special perspective to depict the inner bitterness of being a prostitute. It was as if Li Shishi was sitting in front of me calmly recounting her past. The film ends amidst the chaos of the Jin dynasty, and Li Shishi's figure vanishes in a flash, perhaps implying that her final fate wasn't important; she simply disappeared into the chaos of the world.
As the cast list began to scroll across the screen, Baozi, wiping away tears as she ate popcorn, said, "Xiao Nan acted so well, I almost thought she was Li Shishi."
I retorted, "Is it good? What's good about it? Not only are there no big scenes, but why isn't there even a single kissing scene?" Then, puzzled, I asked Baozi, "Why are you crying?"
There's really nothing to be sad about. The protagonist didn't get leukemia, wasn't hit by a car, and didn't freeze to death, sinking straight to the bottom of the water under the watchful eyes of his lover...
Baozi glared at me and said, "Li Shishi is so pitiful!"
I laughed and said, "What's so pitiful about her? All I see is her eating and drinking well and dancing in a big house."
Baozi said, "Isn't it pitiful for a woman to live like this every day, with no one truly loving her?"
Wow, so these are inner monologues? This guy's appreciation for things has really improved since he became a steamed bun shop owner! But I'm probably too familiar with Li Shishi, so I didn't really feel any sadness. The biggest impression this film gave me was how unique and exquisite the costumes and props were—that's how they spent 67 million.
As the movie ended and the lights came on, applause should have erupted—even if it was terrible, at least Jin Shaoyan should have received some respect, right? But surprisingly, not a single person clapped. Normally, Jin Shaoyan would have led the applause at this crucial moment, but today was an exception. He had poured a lot of effort into this film, much like his work itself, so he wasn't the first to clap.
Li Shishi watched the movie finish without blinking. Then, she glanced around and gave Jin Shaoyan a bitter smile. Perhaps she had expected this outcome, but she hadn't anticipated such a negative reaction. Her smile contained both self-mockery and a hint of relief. Regardless, she had done what she wanted to do. Jin Shaoyan gently patted her hand.
But just then, with the first clapping, a huge wave of cheers swept through the theater, and many celebrities stood up, clapping and smiling in their direction. Several famous directors around Li Shishi disregarded their status and rushed to shake her hand, showing that they were truly impressed by the talent of this young woman.
It seems they didn't applaud immediately because they were so moved by the film—I'm still quite puzzled, is it really that good? But since even someone with Baozi's level of appreciation could be moved to tears, it must have some touching aspects. At least this pure art film has achieved a balance between highbrow and lowbrow appeal.
By this time, the cast list was complete, and many people asked in surprise, "Why isn't the director's name on it?" Most people didn't know that the film's lead actor was also the director. As soon as the question was asked, a row of incredibly prominent words slowly filled the entire screen:
Director: Li Shishi
People are speculating: Who is Li Shishi? Is it a coincidence? Or was it a stage name she specifically chose for this movie?
Li Shishi didn't hear what people were saying at all. She stared at Jin Shaoyan with wide eyes in surprise. Jin Shaoyan smiled and looked at her, whispering in her ear, "This is the only gift I can give you."
Tears instantly blurred Li Shishi's vision; if not for the sake of appearances, she would have surely thrown herself into Jin Shaoyan's arms. While the film doesn't exactly subvert anything, it completely altered people's simplistic perception of the "famous courtesan Li Shishi." Li Shishi was transformed into a more nuanced and complex character, both ordinary and somewhat legendary. The inclusion of "director Li Shishi" at the end adds a subtle and evocative layer to the narrative. At least on this level, Li Shishi understood perfectly well. From the moment Jin Shaoyan said, "Li Shishi is just a prostitute," a rift had formed between them, though unspoken. At this moment, Li Shishi finally forgave him completely.
Jin Shaoyan, holding Li Shishi's hand, said loudly, "Miss Wang Yuannan is the director of this film; her other name is Li Shishi..."
The theater was once again filled with exclamations and applause.
After that, "The Legend of Li Shishi" was officially renamed "Li Shishi" and premiered simultaneously nationwide. With genuine and feigned praise from various stars and directors, the box office soared. It became another major romantic epic after "Titanic," and the most popular film among girls in 2007. Surveys showed that going to see "Li Shishi" together was almost the sole criterion for judging whether a couple was a couple. Of course, there were also many examples of men accompanying several women to see it once, or women accompanying several men to see it once…
Another strange thing is that this time, film critics didn't interfere; everyone else was praising it, so they surprisingly echoed their praise. The film subsequently participated in numerous awards and garnered many accolades. Notably, it consistently won the "Best Props and Costume Design" award at every film festival it attended. Several historians have also stated sternly that while they won't comment on the portrayal of Li Shishi, the film's costumes, etiquette, and set design are undeniably superb.
A world-renowned film critic commented on "Li Shishi" with the following sentence: "The director who made it must be an ordinary person with the eye of God; she was simply telling her own past story."
There are also those who praise Li Shishi's ingenious filming techniques. One film critic said: "Find any person and record their life in a way that is devoid of joy or anger so that people can understand them. This is not without its inspiration. From this perspective, Li Shishi is a milestone."
Hearing this guy's words made me break out in a cold sweat. I thought: If someone could recreate my life using this method, then the movie title would be easy to come up with, like "Xiao Qiang" (doesn't it feel like an old photo?). But what category would it be categorized into?
I'm not going to think about it anymore. Baozi is waiting for me in bed—anyway, the government definitely won't let this part air tonight.
Chapter Forty-Nine: The Most Beautiful Woman
The weather is getting colder, and our whole family is gathered around a hot pot table. Besides our group of five, there's Fengfeng, Zhang Bing, and Cao Xiaoxiang. We often have meals together in this unusual combination. Zhang Bing still doesn't talk much with us, but she was, after all, Xiang Yu's woman. Liu Bang tested her several times, and Zhang Bing knows everything about their era, including the feud between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. We can be fairly certain she is indeed Yu Ji.
After achieving fame with her film "Li Shishi," Li Shishi immediately announced her retirement from acting, staying home except for occasional charity events. She donated a portion of the profits from the film's release to build a cinema at Yucai School, and the rest was given away. Now, every time she meets Jin Shaoyan, she dresses up like a koala. Jin Shaoyan travels between Hong Kong and Shanghai, so they rarely see each other, but I know he still can't let go. He used to be surrounded by women, but now even his secretary is male. Is this the legendary rational love?
Speaking of Mulan, her fame is now no less than that of Li Shishi. So, on the final day of the beauty pageant organized by Jin Shaoyan's company, eight contestants were vying for the title of a certain cup. During the comprehensive assessment, one contestant drew the question: "Please describe the deeds of our country's heroine, Mulan." Before the contestant could even answer, a reporter from country H stood up and loudly protested: "Your question is incorrect! Mulan is from our country H!"
The championship trophy was right there on the judges' panel, in a large glass jar. The usually mild-mannered judge Hua suddenly grabbed the trophy, pointed at the reporter, and yelled, "Say that again, you fucking idiot!"
The reporter began, "Hua..." Before he could finish, Hua Mulan smashed the champion's trophy over his head, leaving him bleeding profusely. She then stormed off, disappearing without a trace. Many patriotic hosts have done similar things in similar situations, but only Judge Hua has taken it so thoroughly. According to eyewitnesses, the H-country reporter was about 10 meters away from Hua Mulan. The trophy weighed approximately 3.7 kilograms (about 7 pounds), so when Hua Mulan questioned the reporter, the unfortunate fellow probably thought that even if Hua Mulan was truly angry, she couldn't possibly hit him, hence his audacity. It's unexpected that a beauty pageant judge possessed the skills of a martial arts tournament judge. Afterwards, Zhang Qingdu said that even he himself wasn't entirely confident of that stunning throw…
The matter was eventually dropped. The reporter, of course, received medical attention from the organizers; the nurse who treated his wounds, probably a Mulan fan, stitched several shards of glass into his flesh—I must say, I don't condone this kind of behavior; it's a complete disregard for professional ethics, and I suggest we not award the Nightingale Medal to that nurse. But it's not a big deal; the reporter can always get plastic surgery back home.
Later, a busybody posted online asking who was the most beautiful person that night, and maliciously included Mulan's name. The result was predictable: Mulan received over a million more votes than the most popular contestant, and was privately hailed by the public as the most beautiful woman in all of China. Later, advertisers approached her; the brand is unknown, but they created a tagline specifically for Mulan: "Don't think I'm just saying that!"
At this point, Mulan had truly lived up to her role as a woman. She either didn't do it at all, or she did it to become the most beautiful woman in the entire country, thus fulfilling a long-held wish.
At that moment, we were all gathered together happily. Cao Xiaoxiang finished a glass of juice and reached out his little arm to grab the bottle again, but Xiang Yu snatched it away and threw it aside, saying, "Children shouldn't drink too much juice." We never expected that the King of Chu would have such a thoughtful side, and we all smiled and nodded—Xiang Yu picked up a glass of Moutai and poured Cao Xiaoxiang a full glass: "Have a drink."
We all stared at him speechlessly. Xiang Yu looked around at us, spread his hands, and said, "When I was his age, I could drink a whole jar of liquor."
Cao Xiaoxiang declared with boundless pride, "Then I'll drink it all!" He downed the drink in one gulp, then waved his arms a couple of times in his seat before collapsing headfirst into Wu Sangui's arms. We watched, both amused and exasperated. Baozi put Xiaoxiang in the bedroom, covered him with a blanket, and turned on the TV when she returned. It looked like a chaotic construction site, with a reporter in a hard hat excitedly talking to a camera. Baozi flipped through several channels, and it was the same scene every time. Just as she was about to turn the TV off, I had a sudden inspiration and quickly said, "Listen to what he's saying!"
Baozi returned to his seat and handed me the remote control. I turned up the volume, just in time to hear the scene being replayed. I heard the reporter loudly proclaim, "Breaking news! A large ancient tomb complex has been discovered in Village B, County A, Xianyang, my country. Experts predict that this may be a Qin Dynasty burial site, and there is even a very high possibility that it is the true burial place of Qin Shi Huang..."
Except for Fengfeng and Baozi, everyone else turned to look at Qin Shi Huang. Fatty Ying, watching TV, muttered, "Is he done touching Liao?"
I understand. This is what Fei Sankou told me a few days ago. It seems that today is the official public announcement.
My curiosity got the better of me, so I dug out the map of Xianyang again and leaned over to Fatty Ying, saying, "Brother Ying, this time you should give me a rough location, right?" I marked County A in Xianyang and connected it to Mount Li. Qin Shi Huang took the pen, didn't even look at the map, and drew an irregular trapezoid along that line, saying, "The four places I chose back then look just like this—steamed buns, hand me some vermicelli."
I quickly dipped the vermicelli in the pot, rinsed it, and placed it in Qin Shihuang's bowl, saying hastily, "Xiao Qiangzi is serving Your Majesty."
Fatty Ying glared at me and said, "You're not familiar with it yet!"
I understand now. The four tombs chosen by Qin Shi Huang, when connected on the map, form an irregular trapezoid. Now that we have the tomb sites in Lishan and County A, if we add a few more points, we should be able to find the other two tombs. How much would this information alone be worth to tomb raiders?
Just then, my phone rang. I answered it and heard a slightly tired but amused voice say, "Principal Xiao, I'm back. Just checking in." It was Fei Sankou. It seemed their mission was complete once the tomb was on TV.
I smiled and said, "Congratulations, your merits are complete."
Fei Sankou smiled wryly and said, "Perfect success? It should be said that the difficulties have only just begun."