The cast of "Dying to Survive" featured Jiangnan's usual ensemble.
Veteran actor Chen Jinzhou, after his explosive popularity in "Pegasus," experienced a resurgence and continued to be a leading actor.
Although he was under contract and not signed with Xinghui Entertainment, he immediately accepted Jiangnan's offer to act, pushing aside all other commitments. He also didn't ask for any salary.
His agent was against it, believing Chen Jinzhou's current fee was comparable to that of young idols. They didn't understand why he would turn down so many good roles to star in a niche film without pay.
However, Chen Jinzhou's stance was resolute.
Regardless of what the company or his agent said, he insisted on filming "Dying to Survive."
In the past, this would have been impossible.
Ordinary artists had no say; they followed their management's arrangements.
But Chen Jinzhou was now a major star. Coupled with Jiangnan's status as an industry leader and Xinghui Entertainment's prominence, the agency couldn't easily refuse.
"There are no competitors in the Spring Festival slot, but it's a pity Teacher Chen is filming a niche film this time," the agent murmured softly in the conference room.
"Teacher Chen has a good relationship with Jiangnan, so helping him out is normal. Let's not discuss this any further," the artist department director chided the agent, noticing Chen Jinzhou's displeased expression.
"You are all mistaken," Chen Jinzhou said, looking at everyone with utmost seriousness.
"The reason I'm filming this movie is not because I have a good relationship with Jiangnan, but because I believe one should not forget their roots. Jiangnan gave me the opportunity to be back on screen. As for not signing with Xinghui, it's because you've treated me well so far. When my contract expires, I will join Xinghui Entertainment."
Chen Jinzhou's tone was calm but extremely firm.
He recalled being ridiculed and put in an awkward position by Zhang Qingyun and others on set, even being kicked out of the crew.
It was Jiangnan who gave him hope and brought him to where he was today.
Let alone a niche film, Chen Jinzhou wouldn't hesitate even if asked to act in a viral short drama.
"Ahem... Teacher Chen is right, one must not forget their roots. Given Jiangnan's caliber, even with a niche subject, it won't be difficult to win the box office championship during the Spring Festival slot. An additional box office champion will benefit both Teacher Chen and our company. So, after discussing it for over two months, now that the movie is released and the matter is settled, we should just focus on the box office results. Nothing else matters," the artist department director said somewhat awkwardly.
Chen Jinzhou's statement was a bit disrespectful to the company, as his heart had already gone to Xinghui and Jiangnan while he was still under their contract.
However, the company dared not offend him, as he was considered part of Jiangnan's team. With Jiangnan's current momentum, he might approach Chen Jinzhou for his next hit movie, and their company would then benefit.
"Even if a niche film wins the box office championship, the total earnings won't be very high," the agent thought to himself. He didn't dare say anything more. Although he was Chen Jinzhou's agent, offending him would lead to his dismissal by the company.
...
The movie premiere had begun.
The opening featured music with a strong Indian flavor.
According to information released by Xinghui, the film's theme song was produced by Ting Yu.
It was also a duet sung by Gong Ju Ren and Jiang Xiao E from the singer's group.
This had drawn considerable support for the film, with some audiences attending specifically for Ting Yu's new song.
It was worth noting that in Jiangnan's recent films, Zhang Yang had been the lead actor, single-handedly elevating the newcomer to super-A-list status, making him the hottest actor in the film industry, bar none.
However, in "Dying to Survive," the lead role was credited to Chen Jin Jiang.
This veteran actor had left a deep impression in his previous work, "Pegasus."
At the beginning of the film,
Chen Jinzhou, playing Cheng Yong, opened a small shop selling Indian aphrodisiacs.
This segment established the protagonist Cheng Yong's background with a distinctly urban narrative style, creating a strong sense of immersion.
Cheng Yong was divorced, with an eight-year-old son and a father suffering from a serious illness. Due to a lack of caregivers, his father had to be sent to a nursing home, where Cheng Yong visited him periodically.
As he was short on money, the nursing fees had to be paid monthly.
This scene perfectly portrayed a man in middle age, caught in circumstances beyond his control.
"Jiangnan's character development is consistently top-notch in the industry!"
"Just this segment alone has me brimming with anticipation for what's to come."
"Watching veteran actors perform is a sheer delight. Although Teacher Chen Jinzhou has many comedic roles, his portrayal of this middle-aged man is incredibly lifelike!"
"With parents above and children below, and a wealthy stepfather for his son, his happiest moments are weekends spent with his son. But his ex-wife suddenly wants to send their son abroad. This setup is incredibly stressful!"
The story progressed rapidly.
Although Cheng Yong's situation was depicted as very stressful, the presentation was nuanced, allowing the audience to feel it appropriately, and even incorporating moments of humor.
This led the audience to believe it might be a comedy.
The plot took a turn when the owner of the adjacent hotel brought in a sickly young man.
When this character appeared,
the audience present was surprised.
It was Lü Shouyi, played by Zhang Yang.
Unlike Zhang Yang's previous roles, Lü Shouyi was gaunt, with sunken eyes and wore three layers of masks.
"Zhang Yang's style transformation is quite drastic..."
"Holy crap, I almost didn't recognize him. The makeup is incredible!"
"It's probably not just makeup. I saw Zhang Yang promoting the movie a few days ago, and he had indeed lost a lot of weight."
"Damn, he actually lost weight? He sacrificed so much for this film?"
"That's right, Zhang Yang even posted on Weibo saying he sacrificed himself for art this time, haha. His selfies on set looked like he'd pulled too many all-nighters, those dark circles were unbelievable!"
Zhang Yang now had quite a number of fans.
Fans often visited sets, and there were fan meetings at events.
His significant sacrifices for this film had already spread among his fans.
Zhang Yang's personality, much like his name, was quite flamboyant. He enjoyed sharing his filming experiences on social media platforms the most.
Previously, during filming, he had shared how he endured three days and three nights without sleep for a particular scene to portray the weakness of a patient.
That had even briefly trended on hot search.
It sparked much discussion, but such personal sharing by artists is generally labeled as showing off in the domestic entertainment industry, and Zhang Yang was no exception. Many people criticized him for "showing off" in the comments section of his Weibo.
Unfortunately for those critics, Zhang Yang was different from ordinary celebrities; he only enjoyed the process of sharing and paid no mind to how others perceived him.
He'd act cool and then move on, regardless of whether the act succeeded.
That was Zhang Yang's pleasure.