Looking at Chen Qiao’en, who had just arrived, and Zhang Yuxin, who was standing nearby, then glancing at Yang Mi right beside him, Jiang Nian felt that things were starting to get a little dicey.
In a daze, he could’ve sworn he saw a big, bold, red “DANGER” sign pop up right above his head. And the longer he stood there, the brighter that red glow got, as if a storm was brewing.
Instinctively, he wanted to make a run for it.
But Yang Mi, who was right next to him, grabbed his arm and held him in place.
Turning his head, he saw Yang Mi giving him a smirk that wasn’t quite a smile. “Teacher Jiang, you sure are popular, huh? So many people came all the way here just to pay you a New Year’s visit. And all of them are actresses, too.”
“Uh…” Jiang Nian faltered for a second, then quickly regained his composure and laughed. “Hey, what can I say? I’m a pretty well-liked guy on set. They just wanted to come say hi to yours truly. Nothing wrong with that, right?”
“Really?” Yang Mi asked, her voice dripping with suspicion.
“Really,” Jiang Nian nodded, lying through his teeth without even a hint of a blush.
Yang Mi didn’t say anything for a moment. She just stared at him for a while, and when she couldn’t find anything off about his expression, she said, “Alright then. Since that’s the case, you wouldn’t mind introducing us, would you? That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
At that, Jiang Nian’s scalp started to tingle.
This Yang Mi really doesn’t let things go, does she?
But since things had come this far, there was nothing he could do about it.
He steeled himself and said, “Of course not. Come on, follow me.”
With that, Jiang Nian led Yang Mi over toward Zhang Yuxin and Chen Qiao’en.
As he walked, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
He could somewhat understand Zhang Yuxin showing up. After all, a few days before the New Year, she had called him up and asked him to hang out, and they’d already been intimate with each other. So that made a certain kind of sense.
But Chen Qiao’en…
“What’s her deal?”
“She hasn’t even fully recovered from her injury yet!”
Jiang Nian grumbled inwardly.
Meanwhile, not too far away, Zhang Yuxin heard that someone else – another actress, no less – had also come to pay Jiang Nian a New Year’s visit. Feeling a bit curious, she turned her head and happened to lock eyes with Chen Qiao’en.
Although they hadn’t met many times, they still recognized each other as industry insiders.
After all, one of them was the recently hugely popular “Consort Wan” from Flying Swords of Dragon Gate. The other was the highly anticipated “Dongfang Bubai” – the cult leader herself – from the upcoming The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.
At the same time, because Jiang Nian had saved her life, Chen Qiao’en naturally felt warmly toward Zhang Yuxin, who had come to see Jiang Nian and had once been his colleague. She extended her hand with a smile. “Hello, Yuxin. Are you here to pay Teacher Jiang a New Year’s visit too?”
“Huh? Oh, um, yeah! Sister Qiao’en, you too?”
Zhang Yuxin was momentarily taken aback, then quickly responded.
Chen Qiao’en smiled and nodded. “Of course. Teacher Jiang saved my life a while back, so I had to come by and properly thank him.”
At that, Zhang Yuxin let out a soft “Huh?” and her eyes suddenly grew a little strange as she looked at Chen Qiao’en.
Jiang Nian had saved her life?
In an instant, a thought struck Zhang Yuxin, and the way she looked at Chen Qiao’en turned somewhat odd.
Because she’d seen this exact script play out before!
“No way!”
Zhang Yuxin thought to herself.
It couldn’t be that much of a coincidence.
Just then—
“Hello, Cult Leader. Hello, Consort.”
Jiang Nian’s voice broke through, snapping Zhang Yuxin out of her thoughts.
She followed the sound and saw Yang Mi and Jiang Nian walking over toward them together.
Seeing Yang Mi, neither Zhang Yuxin nor Chen Qiao’en was particularly surprised. Whether it was the set of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer or Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, Jiang Nian had always been brought there by Yang Mi. They both knew she was his boss.
So, upon seeing Yang Mi, they both greeted her with a smile. “Sister Mi, you’re here too.”
Yang Mi gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, treating it as a greeting, then asked, “So you both came to pay Jiang Nian a New Year’s visit?”
“Yes, yes! And I even brought a bunch of gifts!”
Zhang Yuxin said, as if trying to show off. As she spoke, she hopped out of her car and headed toward the trunk to open it.
Seeing that, Chen Qiao’en didn’t want to be outdone and tried to get out of her car as well.
But the moment she moved, she pulled at her wound. She let out a sharp hiss, her face contorting in pain, and nearly tumbled out of the vehicle. Fortunately, Jiang Nian was quick. He rushed forward and caught her, steadying her. Feeling the layers of bandages wrapped around her back through her clothes, he said with concern, “Cult Leader, your injury isn’t even fully healed yet. You should be resting! Why did you come all the way out here just to wish me a Happy New Year?”
Seeing Jiang Nian fuss over her like that warmed Chen Qiao’en’s heart.
Leaning on him, she stood up straight and shook her head. “Teacher Jiang, you can’t say that. You saved my life. It’s only right and proper that I thank you. Coming to pay you a New Year’s visit is the least I could do. It’s nothing, really.”
Her answer made Jiang Nian feel both exasperated and amused. “That still doesn’t mean you should ignore your own health and push yourself like this. You’re a grown woman – don’t you know what’s more important and what can wait?”
Chen Qiao’en just gave a simple, sheepish laugh in response.
Seeing her like that, Jiang Nian let out a helpless sigh and decided not to push it further.
After all, she was already here. What else could he do?
It wasn’t like he could just give her a big kick and send her flying two miles back home to rest properly, was it?
“Alright, come on. Watch your step.”
Jiang Nian said, guiding Chen Qiao’en carefully.
She nodded and then walked around to the back of her car to pop the trunk.
Since she was still recovering, Jiang Nian took the initiative to carry all the gifts she’d bought. Yang Mi and Zhang Yuxin, watching from the sidelines, couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
And sure enough, when Jiang Nian walked back over, Yang Mi immediately pounced. “Ooh, how thoughtful! Who knew Mr. Jiang could be such a gentleman?”
Jiang Nian shot her a look. “She’s injured! Did you expect me to make her carry all this herself? And this isn’t even that big of a deal.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. She’s injured, and this isn’t ‘that big of a deal.’ It’s all just me overthinking things. Pfft.”
Yang Mi crossed her arms and spoke with dripping sarcasm.
Jiang Nian rolled his eyes at her antics and couldn’t be bothered to respond. He simply took the gift boxes from Zhang Yuxin’s hands as well, carried everything together, and headed for home.
By now, Jiang Nian’s parents and relatives were completely dumbfounded.
They had no idea what was going on.
Usually, they’d never get to see celebrities in person, but today, not only had they seen one, they’d seen three at once!
And what’s more, all of these big stars had come on their own!
In that instant, the way everyone looked at Jiang Nian changed. It was now filled with awe and respect.
There was no denying it – the guy was seriously impressive. You had to give credit where it was due.
From that point on, they all behaved themselves. Aside from the usual talk about how well Jiang Nian had done and their hopes that he could help their own kids get ahead, they didn’t cause any trouble at all.
Beyond that, the commotion also drew in the villagers. Three luxury cars had rolled through their small village in a single morning, all heading toward Jiang Nian’s house. Naturally, people were curious.
When they arrived and saw that the celebrities they’d only ever seen on TV were actually here, they were completely blown away!
Soon enough, neighbors from both ends of the village came over to gawk. There were elderly aunties, flashy young people who’d come back from working in the cities, and quite a few kids, too. It was certainly lively, but also chaotic. Jiang Nian’s mom had to keep bringing out tea, fruit plates, and sunflower seeds to entertain everyone.
Yang Mi and the others didn’t seem to mind, though. They were used to this kind of attention. They just gathered around Jiang Nian, chattering away without any air of celebrity, and even took a few photos with the locals.
It was all warm and harmonious – not a trace of the battlefield that Jiang Nian had feared.
He let out a sigh of relief.
However, as it turned out, he’d breathed that sigh a little too soon.
Because right after lunch, just as Yang Mi was cheerfully saying goodbye to Jiang Nian’s parents and getting ready to leave, she seized her chance. She grabbed Jiang Nian – who had been pretending to be busy and wandering around aimlessly – and yanked him over.
Then, like she’d studied Sichuan opera face-changing, her expression turned dark in an instant. Her tone was sharp. “Jiang Nian, you’re something else, aren’t you? Playing around behind my back like this? If I’m not mistaken, you already had your way with Zhang Yuxin back when you were filming Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, right? And what about Chen Qiao’en? She’s got a thing for you too, doesn’t she?”
Jiang Nian just shrugged. “What can I say? I’ve got too much charm. I don’t want to, but I can’t exactly let people down, can I?”
“So you think you can just cheat on me? Listen, Jiang Nian – I hate nothing more than being betrayed. If you don’t give me a damn good explanation today, don’t you ever think about touching me again.”
The look on Yang Mi’s face as she said this was dead serious. She clearly wasn’t joking.
Seeing that, Jiang Nian realized she meant business, so he dropped his goofy attitude. “So… should I come over tonight, then?”
Yang Mi blinked, taken aback, then her face darkened even further. “What do you take me for? You drop your pants, I come running, you zip up, I leave?”
“Hmm…” Jiang Nian paused for a moment, feigning thought. “Alright then. As much as it pains me, since you put it that way, I’ll respect your wishes. I won’t touch you anymore. Since I messed up, I should pay the price. So tonight, instead of spending it with you, I’ll go find Zhang Yuxin.”
Silence.
“???”
Yang Mi was utterly confused. She blinked rapidly. “You’re going to go find Zhang Yuxin?”
“Yeah, exactly. You said I shouldn’t touch you anymore, so I’ll just have to settle for her. And if she’s not available either, there’s always Chen Qiao’en. Don’t worry, I’ll find somewhere to go tonight.”
Jiang Nian’s expression was nothing but sincere.
But as Yang Mi listened, the corner of her mouth kept twitching. She opened her mouth to speak several times, only to close it again. Finally, her face red with frustration and veins popping on her forehead, she ground out through clenched teeth:
“Jiang Nian! When I say stuff like that, you’re supposed to comfort me! You’re supposed to butter me up a little, and maybe this whole thing blows over! Who the hell told you to take it literally and run with it? Huh? Are you trying to start a rebellion or something?”
“Ugh! Get in the car! I swear, I’ll find a way to deal with you!”
With a furious, half-muffled yell, Yang Mi didn’t care whether Jiang Nian was willing or not. She grabbed his arm and roughly shoved him into her car.
Watching this unfold, Jiang Nian’s mother was completely lost. She turned to Zhang Yuxin and Chen Qiao’en. “What… what just happened?”
“No idea,” Zhang Yuxin shook her head.
Chen Qiao’en thought for a moment. “Judging by the way things look, it’s probably something work-related.”
“Work-related?” His mother was startled, then looked over at Jiang Nian, who’d been stuffed into the passenger seat. “Um… Jiang Nian, will you be back for dinner tonight?”
Jiang Nian’s mouth twitched. “Mom, I probably won’t make it. You and Dad take care. I left the car keys with Dad. Remember to eat on time, and don’t eat cold food right after hot. Oh, and my bank card PIN is—”
Before he could finish his list of instructions—
A voice that sounded like it belonged to someone going through early menopause roared from inside the car: “Jiang Nian, shut up! I’m taking you out, not killing you!”
Then, as if realizing she was losing her composure, Yang Mi cleared her throat twice, softened her voice, and called out sweetly, “Auntie, don’t worry. I’m just borrowing him for tonight. I’ll return him tomorrow, I promise.”
With that, she floored the gas pedal. Her Porsche Panamera let out a throaty roar, kicking up snow as it sped off into the distance. Before long, it had vanished completely.
And with Jiang Nian and Yang Mi both gone, Chen Qiao’en and Zhang Yuxin exchanged a knowing glance. They said their goodbyes to Jiang Nian’s mother and also took their leave.
The next morning, 8:00 AM.
After brushing his teeth and stepping out of the bathroom, Jiang Nian looked at Yang Mi, who had finally been soothed into a peaceful, baby-like sleep. He checked his skill proficiency, which hadn’t dropped at all, and a smug smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
“Try to get a handle on me? As if you’ve got the chops for that.”
“Amateur.”
With that parting shot, he sent Yang Mi a quick message on his phone saying he was heading out, put on his clothes, and left.
From then on, Jiang Nian’s life returned to its normal rhythm. His days followed a simple routine: martial arts practice, visiting relatives, and spending time with his parents.
Thanks to his relentless efforts over the past while, the chronic aches and pains that had plagued his parents were just about healed. Considering their health, Jiang Nian even drew on the martial arts insights he’d gained over the past six months to create a simple exercise regimen for them to practice.
While this routine wouldn’t allow them to develop internal energy like he had, it could still greatly improve their overall fitness and help them avoid minor ailments.
Meanwhile, through all his training, Jiang Nian managed to push his Sunflower Swordplay to “Minor Accomplishment” (289/500). He still hadn’t broken through to “Mastery,” but that was to be expected. After all, Lin Pingzhi was a character he’d unlocked through sheer force of will. Each training session only gave him a single point of proficiency. The fact that he’d come this far in such a short amount of time was already a major achievement.
And so, amid these routine, unremarkable days, the ninth day of the Lunar New Year arrived – the day of the Jade Emperor’s celebration.
According to tradition, this was the Jade Emperor’s birthday.
Folk custom held that on the 25th of the 12th lunar month, the Jade Emperor would descend to the mortal world to inspect things, and on this day, He would return to the heavens.
To see Him off, fireworks and firecrackers would go off non-stop from midnight until 4 AM.
Jiang Nian wasn’t really a religious person, but when it came to this kind of thing, it didn’t hurt to participate. Besides, it was an excuse to set off fireworks.
So, as soon as midnight struck, Jiang Nian roused his parents, brought out the long strings of firecrackers, and set them off with a deafening pop-pop-pop.
Breathing in the lingering scent of gunpowder, listening to the crackling of firecrackers all around, and looking up at the brilliant fireworks blossoming across the night sky, Jiang Nian couldn’t help but smile. He felt like a kid again, carefree and at ease.
As he was lost in that nostalgic feeling—
Ring-ring—
Ring-ring—
His phone suddenly went off. It was no longer the jingle for “Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken.” He’d changed it after his parents had scolded him for using it when a call came in while he was at home.
He pulled out his phone and looked at the caller ID.
“Tsui Hark?”
Jiang Nian muttered in surprise, then answered the call. “Hello, Director Tsui? What’s up?”
Tsui Hark’s excited voice burst through the speaker: “Teacher Jiang! It’s here! It’s finally here! Our Flying Swords of Dragon Gate is finally in theaters!”
Jiang Nian raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
On the other end, Tsui Hark nodded frantically. “As real as it gets! I got wasted a couple days ago and only just sobered up today. When I woke up, I saw that a few days ago, the authorities sent me a message saying Flying Swords had been cleared for release. It hit theaters nationwide at midnight!”
“Oh, that’s great! Congratulations, Director Tsui! You finally made it through!”
Jiang Nian offered his congratulations.
Tsui Hark was practically in tears. “Yeah, I finally made it. It wasn’t easy!”
Looking back at the journey of getting Flying Swords of Dragon Gate released, it had been one obstacle after another.
First, during the promotional tour, Jiang Nian had gotten caught up in a murder case and faced a massive online backlash. Then, just when public opinion started to turn around, the film got seized by the authorities.
And it was held for an entire month!
A whole month!
The film it was supposed to compete against, The Flowers of War, had already finished its theatrical run, and his movie was just now coming out!
What’s worse, it had completely missed the peak traffic of the Spring Festival box office window, only getting the leftovers!
No one knew how Tsui Hark had gotten through those days. No one knew how bitter it had been for him. All he could do was drown his sorrows in alcohol day after day.
But at least, it was all over now.
“Phew!”
“Teacher Jiang, are you going to watch it? If you are, I can get you a few tickets.”
After letting out a long, pent-up sigh, Tsui Hark asked.
Jiang Nian said he’d love to.
“Give me three, please. In Harbin.”
After all, this was the first movie Jiang Nian had ever acted in, and he played the main villain. It was a meaningful milestone.
Naturally, he wanted to take his parents to the theater to see it.
Tsui Hark understood and said, “Alright.” Then he hung up and got to work.
Before long, Tsui Hark sent Jiang Nian the ticket stubs via WeChat.
Jiang Nian put his phone away and looked at his parents. “Dad, Mom, my movie’s out. Want to go see it?”
They exchanged a glance and then nodded. “Sure.”
Actually, they’d been meaning to ask about it anyway.
Jiang Nian was back, and he’d made money – all good things.
But when they’d searched online for the shows he’d acted in, aside from that one role as Du Gao in The Chronicles of the Martial World, all they could find were a few behind-the-scenes clips and paparazzi shots. It had left them pretty puzzled.
Now that he’d brought it up, of course they weren’t going to say no.
Seeing that they were all on the same page, Jiang Nian grinned.
He went inside to grab the car keys, hopped into his Range Rover, and drove his parents into Harbin city.
Jiang Nian had assumed that, with the movie coming out so suddenly at this point, there wouldn’t be many people in the theater to watch it.
But when he got there, he was stunned to find that Flying Swords of Dragon Gate was completely sold out! Every single ticket for the premiere had been bought – not a single one left!
“Whoa!”
“What’s going on here?”
Jiang Nian found it hard to believe.
So, putting on the mask he always carried, he spotted a young couple just picking up their Flying Swords tickets from the self-service machine. He walked up and asked, even though he already knew the answer, “Excuse me, sorry to bother you. Are you guys here to see Flying Swords of Dragon Gate?”
The guy was startled, then looked at Jiang Nian, who was bundled up pretty tightly. He grew a little wary, instinctively shielding his girlfriend and taking a step back. “Yeah, what’s it to you?”
“Nothing much. I was just curious – why did you decide to watch it? If I remember correctly, after the whole Jiang Nian incident, Flying Swords has been completely quiet for a whole month. Normally, people would’ve forgotten about it by now.”
Jiang Nian voiced his confusion.
It wasn’t that he wanted his own movie to flop or have terrible box office numbers. It just seemed completely unreasonable.
Sure, the era they were in wasn’t quite the information explosion of later years, but information still cycled at a terrifying speed. If a movie had absolutely zero news for an entire month, it would’ve simply dropped off the face of the earth. There was no way it’d be like this.
The guy looked at him strangely. “Who told you I forgot? The Jiang Nian thing was huge – there’s no way I’d forget that fast. And as for why I came to see it? I just wanted to see how damn tough that Jiang Nian guy really is. How the hell did he manage to take down so many people? What, is that not a good enough reason?”
“Uh… yeah, that’s a very good reason!”
Faced with that reply, Jiang Nian was at a loss for words.
After all, the guy had come because of him. He couldn’t exactly tell him there was something wrong with that.
As a thank you for answering his question, Jiang Nian went to the concession stand, bought a movie snack combo, and gave it to the couple.
Then he wandered around the lobby and asked a few more people.
The others, seeing that Jiang Nian was generous enough to give away a snack combo just for answering a few questions, weren’t too put off by his inquiries. With their cooperation, he quickly finished his little survey.
He discovered something pretty wild: out of the ten people he asked, six of them had come to see Flying Swords of Dragon Gate specifically because of him.
Of the remaining four, three were there for the big-name stars, Jet Li and Zhou Xun, and the last one was a fan of Tsui Hark.
“Holy crap!”
“I’m that much of a big deal?”
Even Jiang Nian himself was surprised by this result, let alone his parents, who were standing off to the side.
They were completely flabbergasted.
We haven’t seen him in two years, and our kid’s become a top-tier celebrity?
That only made them even more curious about the movie they were about to watch.
As they waited, the theater soon began checking tickets and letting people in, handing out 3D glasses.
Jiang Nian and his parents sat in their seats for a while, and soon enough, the lights dimmed.
With the appearance of the Great Wall Golden Dragon logo – symbolizing the nation’s cinema – and the various production company logos, the long-delayed Flying Swords of Dragon Gate finally hit screens in theaters across the country!
Looking back later, people would absolutely hail this day as a miracle in film history.
After a whole month with absolutely zero news, with the director having been so drunk he forgot about everything and didn’t even hold a premiere, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate still dropped without any warning and immediately sold out all its premiere tickets.
When Tsui Hark tried to contact film critics to have them review the movie and build up hype, he was shocked to find that – as the director – he could only get tickets for the second screening.
“Wait, where are all the tickets?”
“Where are my internal tickets?!”
Staring at his phone, Tsui Hark was completely baffled.
He was the director of Flying Swords of Dragon Gate! A key member of the production! Everyone else could be out of luck, but there was no way he should be!
And yet, here he was.
“Is someone out to get me?”
That thought immediately popped into Tsui Hark’s head.
As the saying goes: the early bird catches the worm. That was especially true in the film industry. If you watched a movie first, you could publish your review first. If the review was positive, it was fine. But if it was negative, netizens would read it, form a preconceived notion that the film wasn’t good, and then not want to see it.
But after thinking it over, Tsui Hark felt it was unlikely.
For one thing, if someone wanted to sabotage him, there were easier, cheaper ways to do it without buying up this many tickets.
Besides, given the state of his movie – stuck in limbo for a month and practically dead in the water – what would even be the point of bashing it? The investment just wouldn’t match the return!
“But why are there no tickets?”
“Did someone really buy out every single premiere screening?”
Tsui Hark rubbed his head, deep in thought.
Just then, his phone rang. The person on the other end immediately asked, “Director Tsui, do you still want tickets for the second screening?”
“What’s up?” Tsui Hark sensed something off and asked.
But the caller didn’t answer right away. After a moment of silence, they finally said, “Oh, never mind. I was just going to say – the second screening sold out too. And not just the second one. The third, the fourth… Every single showtime for today is completely sold out. They all went right after the premiere ended!”
“WHAT?!” Tsui Hark was dumbfounded. “What’s going on?”
“Looks like… it blew up.”
“Blew up?”
Tsui Hark suddenly realized what was happening and quickly opened Weibo.
There he saw that, less than twenty minutes after the premiere had ended, Weibo was practically flooded with posts about Flying Swords of Dragon Gate.
Hashtags like “Flying Swords of Dragon Gate,” “Jiang Nian,” “Yu Huatian,” and “Most Beautiful Eunuch” had all shot straight to the top of the trending charts.
Netizens were going absolutely wild with discussion:
“Can anyone explain this? This is the first time in my life I’ve been moved to tears by a eunuch’s beauty!”
“He’s so handsome! Teacher Jiang Nian is literally the definition of perfection! Every time he shows up, I just want to stare at the screen. I strongly urge all you ladies to go watch this – this is what a true heartthrob looks like!”
“Thanks for the invite. Currently at the theater, just finished watching the premiere of Flying Swords of Dragon Gate. I forgot the middle part, and I forgot the end too. Anyway, this is the Western Depot! What the Eastern Depot doesn’t dare to handle, we handle. Who the Eastern Depot doesn’t dare to kill, we kill. In one sentence: if the Eastern Depot can handle it, we handle it. If the Eastern Depot can’t handle it, we handle it even more. Execute first, report later – by imperial decree! This is the Western Depot! Is that clear enough for you?”
“Yes, yes, exactly! That line alone made me a fan. How can anyone be that cool?”
“Loves being pretty, loves being arrogant, loves being a tsundere, and loves sticking his nose into everything. Endlessly alluring in the middle of a tornado, plus those smoldering little eyeliner strokes that can withstand water, dust, and sandstorms – all of you are nothing compared to him. I am not Jiang Nian, nor am I that loser Feng Lidao. I am the single flower of both the East and West Depots – I am Yu Huatian!”
“??? Aren’t you guys supposed to be setting off firecrackers to send off the Jade Emperor? What are you all raving about at this hour?”
“Sounds like they’re talking about Flying Swords of Dragon Gate?”
“Flying Swords? Wasn’t that movie banned? Didn’t it flop?”
“Flopped, my ass! It premiered tonight! Didn’t you know?”
“Whoa, really? Genuine question – is it good?”
“Take my word for it: remove the question mark. The plot is all over the place, the core themes are a mess, and the villain’s death is especially slapdash. But Jiang Nian’s Yu Huatian – holy crap, I’m telling you, just him alone is worth the price of admission. And the fight scenes are shot incredibly well – stylish without losing a sense of realism. With those 3D glasses on, it feels like you’re right there!”
“Dude, are you sure you’re praising this movie or trashing it? If the plot, the core themes, and the villain’s death are all that sloppy, can it really be called a good movie?”
“But that’s the thing – it is a genuinely good movie. Putting the plot aside, just look at the fight choreography. As a fight choreographer myself, I can say this is some of the best action I’ve seen in years. And Yu Huatian is masterfully written – perfectly distinguishing between ‘effeminate’ and ‘androgynous cool.'”
“Oh, and speaking of Jiang Nian – he’s the guy who took down those terrorists in Chuncheng a month ago, right? I remember thinking, ‘How the hell is this dude so ridiculously tough?’ But after watching this movie? All I can say is – it makes perfect sense. Totally reasonable!”
“6. Alright, man, you’ve convinced me. I’m sold. So can you explain to me why the hell there are no tickets available, huh? The next showing I can get is the day after tomorrow?”
“You can get tickets the day after tomorrow? That’s so soon! We’re in Hangzhou, and the tickets here are already sold out for the next five days!”
“Don’t even talk about Hangzhou. I live in a small county town, and even our tickets are only available for tomorrow. To put that in perspective – when The Flowers of War was at its peak, I could walk in and have the whole theater to myself!”
“…”
Watching the avalanche of online discussion, even a seasoned veteran like Tsui Hark was stunned.
Not just because netizens were bashing the movie while simultaneously promoting it for them, but because this movie – which he’d thought was on its last legs – had suddenly become a massive hit… because of Jiang Nian?!
“Holy shit?!”
Tsui Hark was bewildered. He almost wondered if he was still dreaming.
But he didn’t have time to dwell on it.
Because, right after Flying Swords of Dragon Gate exploded in popularity, his WeChat also exploded.
The critics he’d previously had to pay to get to come were now suddenly changing their tune. Not only were they volunteering to come, some were even offering to pay him just to get a ticket.
The production group chat for Flying Swords, which had been silent for ages, suddenly had 99+ unread messages in an instant.
What’s more, a bunch of investors came knocking, asking Tsui Hark if he had any plans to bring Jiang Nian back for a Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 2.
In short, all it took was a single character to bring this movie back from the dead!
