from the star

The next day was Ling Qingyuan's first seven.A small memorial service will be held at his former residence.

Knowing that his brother planned to go out at the risk of being beaten by a nurse in order to attend the memorial service of this unpopular film director, Cheng Lubai's jaw almost dropped in surprise.

"Brother, you're crazy, you ran to get bad luck for no reason." Cheng Lubai didn't understand, "It's not a famous person, and besides, I don't know if you will be allowed in or not."

"It was said on TV that it was a commemorative event spontaneously organized by his former friends, and it was at his residence. It must be open-ended. Don't you think, maybe you can see some celebrities." Ling Qingyuan deliberately distorted The point is, pretend to be relaxed and talk to my sister.

"Brother, some people on the Internet said that he died strangely, maybe there is something inside." Cheng Lubai clicked on the laptop keyboard: "Look, some people say that he knows that he has been shortlisted many times but still can't win the director award." , I have nothing to think about in life. Some people say that he raised money to make movies, but he couldn’t make back the cost and owed a mountain of debts, so he had to die.”

"...The entertainment industry is like this. You can do anything and say anything." Ling Qingyuan said lightly: "Don't you also want to jump into this circle, and this is just the opportunity to take you to have a look."

Cheng Lubai was speechless.In fact, she didn't really object, and out of surprise and confusion, she had a few words with her brother.Going to a memorial service for a meaningless stranger, saying anything is a bit grotesque.But since he couldn't find any reason to object, and with a little bit of selfishness, hoping to see some famous person, he silently nodded.

The next day, Ling Qingyuan changed out of his hospital gown, and deliberately put on Cheng Hebai's decent dark outfit.He is still not sure about his new appearance.After changing his clothes, he looked at the mirror for a long time.

A 24-year-old young man, his face was pale because he had just recovered from a serious injury.Ling Qingyuan had to admit that this pair of siblings, who were seven years apart, still looked alike. The thin body in the mirror made them look taller, with distinct facial features, and their facial contours were pretty good-looking.Ling Qingyuan frowned, no wonder this kid wanted to be an actor.What Ling Qingyuan didn't know was that with his arrival, the stall owner's philistine spirit of the original owner completely dissipated.Not to mention that this body now behaves more intellectually, especially the expression between the eyebrows and eyes is quite different from before.

Ling Qingyuan rubbed his hair uncertainly, he thought that Cheng Hebai must have paid attention to his image quite deliberately, the hair shape on this head looked familiar, maybe it was consistent with some male star.However, Ling Qingyuan didn't have the audacity to cut off his hair and keep his hairstyle undisturbed, let alone imitate others. He re-styled his hair a little, and only then did he barely feel able to meet people.

"Brother." Cheng Lubai glanced at him, without speaking, and handed him the crutches he borrowed from the nurse.

"Let's go." Ling Qingyuan half supported his crutches, thinking that next time he should get a pair of plain glasses.

Ling Qingyuan's former residence was in an old community in the urban area.The location is not far away, and the security is not strict. The two of them got to the gate after reversing a few buses, staggering one after the other before entering the park.

Ling Qingyuan is naturally familiar with the door of her own house. In Cheng Lubai's view, her brother can be regarded as the director's invisible fan - he even knows the house number wherever he lives, which shows that he usually dives silently. When encountering major events, the fan attribute can't cover it up even if it wants to.

Ling Qingyuan stopped when he was two units away from the gate of his house.Cheng Lubai followed his gaze curiously, the destination was not difficult to notice, it was the first and second floors of a jumping house.There is a small garden facing the sidewalk on the first floor, and there is a fence gate in the depth of the garden.There is not much decoration except for some flowers and plants. There is an easel-like wooden board at the gate, and a small black and white poster is nailed to it.

Ling Qingyuan saw more than his sister, he recognized the person standing next to the easel as Mudli, and he must have initiated and organized this event.There were a few other people in the small garden, wearing black suits, whose backs were turned to him, so they couldn't see clearly.

"Go in?" Cheng Lubai asked.

Ling Qingyuan felt timid, wiped her face and said, "Pass me the flowers."

When the two left the hospital, they bought a bouquet of white roses from a roadside flower shop.Holding the cane in one hand and holding flowers in the other, he walked into the place where he spent a long life in Cheng Hebai's new identity.

Cheng Lubai followed his elder brother into the courtyard and let out a small exclamation.The few people in black suits I saw before were talking quietly.From such a distance, she could clearly see that one of them was quite familiar to her, and the other one was at least familiar to her.

But Ling Qingyuan seemed to ignore it, and went straight to the gate of the fence, and stopped under the small steps: "Hello... I am a fan of Mr. Ling, I wonder if I can participate in today's memorial service. This is my sister. Please forgive me for my appearance "It's really because of some accidents that happened before."

Mudli looked at the young man in front of him with some surprise, and the people talking in the garden also cast a few glances.Ling Qingyuan felt that Cheng Lubai behind him couldn't restrain himself, and seemed to have a fever bubbling.But he didn't care.He pretended to be a stranger, looked at Mudli with a distant but impolite manner, but wanted to see some traces from him.Ling Qingyuan didn't know how this old friend felt when he learned of his death.He couldn't even tell him that his old partner who had been with him for nearly 20 years was not only alive, but was still in front of him...

"Oh...sorry," Mudli withdrew his scrutiny, and slightly turned sideways to make a gesture of invitation: "We welcome anyone who comes to commemorate Director Ling, please come in and sit down first."

Ling Qingyuan took his younger sister past Mu Deli.In a few days, it seemed like a lifetime away.His eyes lowered slightly, suppressing the nostalgia that was almost overflowing.He saw his old screenwriter's melancholy and sentimentality that could not be concealed under the fine lines at the corners of his eyes.

The layout of his home during his lifetime was very simple.The first floor is the living room and screening room, the dining room plus the kitchen, and the second floor is the study and bedroom.As soon as he entered the door, a familiar smell hit his face - the furnishings were exactly the same as when he left home last time.There is a back wall in the living room, half CD rack and half bookshelf.The first half is full of disc movies, music, etc., and the second half is filled with layers of scripts and dramas, covering ancient and modern China and foreign countries.On the other side of the living room is a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror.

There was originally an upright piano in the middle of the living room where the carpet was laid, but this time it was closed and pushed to the corner in order to accommodate more seats.

The projection has been turned on, and the clips on the screen are much more refined than those broadcast by the entertainment channel.Ling Qingyuan found a corner and sat down, a sense of dislocation made him feel at a loss.He is like a wandering soul returning home to visit relatives, the soul is there, but no one can see his existence.

"Brother, brother, what are you thinking..." Cheng Lubai sat down beside him, whispered incoherently, "Brother, I'm really right, do you know who was standing in the garden just now? Tan Yue, This deity, it’s really this deity. I glanced at him several times, and I’m sure it’s correct. There’s also Fang Wenjun, I remembered, isn’t he the star of "The Return of the Soul"?"

"Ah."

"It's worth it, brother, you are so smart. If you hadn't dragged me just now...I..."

Before Cheng Lubai wanted to sign his autograph, a woman just happened to walk towards them. Shuda was gentle and had the air of a star but she looked strange. "Hello, thank you for participating in today's commemorative event. Please sign the commemorative book. The memorial event is generally composed of Director Ling's works exhibition, mourning and speech activities. There are still 10 minutes, please sit down for a while."

Ling Qingyuan took the pen from her, and wrote the names of Cheng Hebai and Cheng Lubai in one go.After the woman left, Cheng Lubai questioned her identity, thinking which celebrity she was.Ling Qingyuan took it vaguely.In fact, this woman is Mudli's wife Zhang Wen, and she is not an insider.But from the perspective of his old friendship with Mudli, he is naturally quite familiar with her.

He ignored Cheng Lubai's crackling little abacus, closed his eyes and quietly let his floating thoughts sink.Ling Qingyuan is dead, he is Cheng Hebai.Everything before Ling Qingyuan has become a thing of the past in the eyes of others, but to him it is a resting symbol of sleep.

As time approached, people entered the house one after another.Mudli led Tan Yue, directors Guan Peng, Jia Fan, producer Shao Lirong and other well-known big names who had just arrived on the back foot to sit in the first row. Her wife brought Fang Wenjun, Peng Xiaoyun and other seven or eight young actors Take a seat in the second row.Some other film critics, old partners on the set, or friends and fans sat in the third and fourth rows.In addition, there are some journalists who know how to attack each other.The originally quite spacious living room turned out to be watertight.Late mourners had to stand in the dining room.

Ling Qingyuan has no close relatives.The whole process was presided over by Mudli.Cheng Lubai opened his eyes wide to observe this rare scene. Many people whom she could name and who could only be seen on the screen appeared in front of his eyes.

Ling Qingyuan stared at the host absent-mindedly for a while, then turned away, not knowing what to think.

He felt a lot of emotion when he saw his old friend again in this way.Even his old friend had to worry about his death. Apart from feeling sorry for him, he also had some faint reservations in his heart.Besides, the number of people participating in this memorial far exceeded his imagination.Actors such as Peng Xiaoyun and Fang Wenjun who participated in his films came, as did the photography and editing of old lighting props. He did not expect Guan Peng and Jia Fan to come too—Guan Peng is also a nominee for the Yulan Director Award this time. One of them is a good competitor, and also a director of literary and artistic films who sympathize with each other.

What surprised him even more was Tan Yue.The two were just nodding acquaintances, and he asked himself how familiar they were.And in terms of his status, influence, and quality of film selection, he was already an actor that Ling Qingyuan couldn't even imagine.If we really want to say what is the connection between the two, we have to go back to the different alumni of the Drama Academy.

Ling Qingyuan could tell that the first part of the film exhibition was edited by Mu Deli himself.Undoubtedly, screenwriter Mu is another dear father of these works. With his understanding, the depth of his interception and processing is far beyond that of an ordinary movie viewer.The short film came to an end at the end of "Soul Comes Back", which was intended to symbolize the end of his directorial career.

black screen.Everyone present was silent for a long time.

"I don't know if you have seen these films. In fact, the first three of the five big screens have not been licensed to be broadcast in the mainland. Fortunately, director Ling's films have been introduced to theaters in the three places across the Taiwan Strait. Meet the audience. Among them, "Lonely Island" was selected as the opening film of the Berlin Film Festival, and "Honeysuckle" and "Invisibility" were nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film twice...It is a pity that they lost the selection."

Some of them nodded, and some responded with tolerant smiles.People in the industry know it well.The opening film is actually a platform to allow more overseas audiences to see this work. The reason why Berlin's film selectors took a fancy to "Island" probably also stems from the film's interpretation of World War II in China from another angle.

As for Oscar foreign language films, it is gratifying to be shortlisted, but it is just a comment on his language and subcultural films by the mainstream Western film industry, and the gold content is not as good as the best film, best director and other awards.

"Foreigners have limited understanding of our culture, it doesn't matter. Director Ling has been working hard. He works hard to make his own works, and every film has his distinctive brand... His hard work needs more audiences. Even if They don't understand, even if they criticize. In fact, people need to realize that realistic, pure film art is also a style, a voice."

"This is what it means to him to be shortlisted or win an award. Director Ling once told me that what some people value is achievement and the joy of winning an award, but he cherishes a stage that attracts the attention of more audiences. He has always used his own way, neither discouraged nor compromised. He left in too much haste before he had time to see his work get the credit it deserved."

"During the period after Director Ling left, I often thought quietly alone, why I was locked up by him for so many years, and I was willing to change the script for him until he vomited blood. Many people here who have worked together have probably thought about it , Why are you willing to sit on the set and listen to Director Ling?" Mudli paused, looked around, and many people nodded tacitly.

"That's because he's real."

A sentence fell into Ling Qingyuan's ears, and crashed into his heart, causing a distant trembling sound.He laughed at himself a little, thinking about the thoughts he had hidden all his life, he really couldn't accept his evaluation.It's not just because he cherishes his talent that he keeps his classmate from the directing department by his side as a screenwriter.

The intertwined melody and numerous musical notes become a poem, and the revolving theme is nothing more than wishing him happiness.They are old classmates and old friends, partners and best friends, nothing more.

Cheng Lubai struggled anxiously to sit on the chair. On such a serious occasion, she had to suppress the rush of seeing her idol.She wriggled restlessly, tortured like a glutton who saw delicious food.The host's speech was a bit long, and she noticed that her brother next to her was also deserting, so she whispered irresponsibly:

"It's so strange. The whole venue let the host take over all the work and long speeches. Could it be that the relatives are mourning and avoid seeing people."

"No. All his relatives have left." Ling Qingyuan replied, obviously feeling like it was over.

Afterwards, Mudli took out a list and expressed his gratitude to all those who had helped and cared for Ling Qingyuan before and after his death.Immediately after the commemoration, it entered the link of free speech.