The Best Director

With the lunar New Year, the whole land of Divine Land was filled with a festive and joyful atmosphere. The annual Wuhan East Lake Plum Festival had opened several days before. In East Lake Plum Garden, plum blossoms were blooming beautifully. The light pink plum flowers bloomed despite the cold end of winter, contrasting charmingly against the green grass beneath, so beautiful indeed. That day, there were not only people out for a spring outing in the garden enjoying the plum blossoms, but also the “Firefly” photography team who came specifically for the beautiful plum flowers.

Entering February, “Firefly” had also launched the final item in their publicity plan as scheduled, the trailer parody contest!

“We allow participants to use Flare Group’s movie and TV materials. We hope that while promoting ‘Firefly,’ users can also have a better experience of other cinematic works,” said Flare Movie’s spokesperson Fiona Hassan through the media to the fans, revealing that this event allowed audiences to deepen their understanding of the content of these cinematic works as well as the company’s brand image, which was greatly beneficial for promoting “Firefly,” DVDs of other movies, etc.; they also hoped that other companies would be more tolerant, or hold similar events, to let netizens have a carnival-like experience.

Of course, they wouldn’t give up the rights to entire movies or TV series. For now, the activity only allowed “Firefly”-style trailers to be uploaded to YOUTUBE.

Flare Movie certainly didn’t expect other entertainment companies to relax their copyrights for them to promote, but they tried to make a big deal of it anyway. The more out of control the situation got, the better! However, some things depended solely on a chain reaction, they just needed to start it off, and the rest was up to the netizens to complete. The distribution department had already invited Damian Hagg, Gavin Richmond, and others to throw their weight behind it. They were all enthusiasts and experts at producing parody videos, and the first wave of Flare film and television version parody trailers was done by them.

“There is one thing you must know. She is a very dangerous person. She holds some secrets you shouldn’t know about…”

After Wang Yang uploaded eight parody trailers, video websites like YOUTUBE and Showyourself began to feature the latest Ice Age version, Sweetheart version, Saw version, The Big Bang Theory version… Movie fans finally understood the real purpose of the parody trailers. Watching these comical trailers was really fun and appealing! And with Flare’s quiet pushing, their views and circulation grew day by day, though there was still some way to go before they went viral.

These marketing tactics undoubtedly increased the visibility of “Firefly” and Wang Yang, one specific indication being the Google search trends.

Google recently announced the top 10 hot keywords of 2004, with Britney Spears, who had a lightning-fast marriage followed by a quick divorce, ranking first, the wealthy heiress Paris Hilton who became famous because of a sex tape, ranking second, and the popular diva singer Christina Aguilera coming in third. Without any film releases, Wang Yang didn’t make it into the top ten of the overall rankings, but in the male celebrity category, he ranked third. The first two were Orlando Bloom and Tom Cruise, both rich, powerful, and charming golden bachelors.

Director, IT industry mogul, married, YOUTUBE… Honestly, just by looking at TV series like Prison Break and The Big Bang Theory respectively ranking first and third in their category shows why. Although Wang Yang considers himself a director, he’s long ceased to be just that or a producer; he has become an idol.

However, in mainland China, Wang Yang was far from a household name, especially without any news of a new film which meant oblivion, at least in terms of search rankings. Neither Google nor Baidu’s top ten Chinese keywords included his name, with Dao Lang dominating the top spot for people in both rankings. Jay Chou, Ruby Lin, Guo Jingjing, and others were all near the top, and even among young people, there were many who didn’t recognize who Wang Yang was, not to mention the older generation. Thus, these past few days, as Wang Yang led his team to shoot in Wuhan’s East Lake and went out celebrating the New Year, hardly anyone recognized the famous director.

If Jessica had been by his side, the chances of Wang Yang being recognized would have been multiplied several times. After all, a beautiful woman draws more attention and increases the rate of second glances; however, this time Wang Yang was enjoying the journey alone. Whether in love or married, sometimes it’s necessary to give each other some space to breathe fresh air, especially after such a sweet and thrilling first wedding anniversary celebration. This is what they call “absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

Although the “anniversary activity” was filled with dramatic conflict and blissful forgetfulness, as expected, Wang Yang received a thorough thrashing from Jessica as a punishment for his mischief afterward. Despite this, he still had a very, very joyful birthday a few days ago. He’s now an old man of 25 years.

“The plum blossom must envy the snow for being three shades whiter, yet the snow concedes to the plum in terms of fragrance! Wow, this poem is fantastic…”

It was the perfect season and weather for admiring the plum blossoms. Under the blue sky, there were just the right number of visitors strolling through the forest of plum blossoms, their fragrance floating in the air. They watched the pink plum trees around them, occasionally catching falling petals and reciting lines of ancient poetry. Wang Yang felt truly relaxed and cheerful; he pondered over more verses that praised plum blossoms. Fortunately, due to his studies over the past year or two and a review before departure, he suddenly thought: “I got it! At the broken bridge outside the post station, the lonely blooms are without owners, only to be further tormented by wind and rain in the desolation of dusk… They have no desire to compete in spring, willingly subject to the envy of the other flowers…”

“Petals fall and turn to mud, crushed into dust.” As a gentle breeze blew by, he caught a twirling fallen petal and inhaled deeply: “Only the fragrance remains as before. Haha, marvelous!”

The filming crew had completed all the location shooting, not taking into account additional shots that might be needed. “Firefly” was officially 100% wrapped! These ethereal and elegant plum blossoms would serve as one of the materials to compose an essential scene in Tai Chi City. Valery Fiest and others returned to Los Angeles with the film footage, but Wang Yang decided to stay and play for a few more days before leaving, experiencing Chinese New Year in China for the first time. The unique and intense festive atmosphere captivated him, and he boisterously sang a song he’d frequently heard on the streets and in shopping centers: “The first snow of 2002…”

During the first snow of 2002, Wang Yang guessed he must have been 21, perhaps 22 years old. The situation at work was much like it is now; “District 9” was wrapped, and he was hastily preparing to start production of “The Hangover”. That year, “Kung Fu Panda”, which was approved, was set to be released globally in May. He and Jessica had come to Asia to watch the World Cup in Korea and Japan, stepping on Chinese soil for the first time; now, once again at 25—crazier than ever at 22…

“Hm?” Wang Yang suddenly felt that he might have been a little bit crazy lately, always liking to show off. Maybe it was the rebellious gene kicking back due to the upcoming arrival of the baby? The panic of impending fatherhood? The more he thought about it, the more it seemed true. Surrounded by these tender white plum blossoms, the undercurrent of unease beneath his enthusiasm became more apparent. He took a deep breath, the floral scent invigorating his mind—and recalled that come March, Jessica would be about half a year recovered, according to their family plan, she was to get pregnant, and then the baby would be born by the year’s end.

The year’s end! Wang Yang frowned and walked towards the lakeside, his mood for whimsy all but gone. It wasn’t that he disliked babies; on the contrary, he’d been looking forward to it for a long time. But what did the arrival of a child mean? What kind of transformation would life undergo? Could he still act wildly, or would occasional indulgence be possible… Good cop or bad cop, taking on responsibility or evading it—all would only be known in the moment when he embraced the baby. But now, it was as if there were two Wang Yangs fighting inside him, with one joyfully saying, “Wow, I’m going to be a dad by the end of the year, so happy!” while the other kept coldly repeating, “Is this it? I ask you, is this it?”

“What else do you want? What aren’t you satisfied with? What are you afraid of? What are you clinging to? Let them go!!” The red-glowing Wang Yang spoke again. The blue-glowing Wang Yang immediately scoffed, “Is this it? I ask you, is this it?” This time he added, “Did you upload the video to YOUTUBE because you want Helen to see it, want other girls to see it? Then say, ‘Yang, you guys are so fucking happy!’ Don’t you think this is unfair to Jessica? Unfair to Helen? What do you say, asshole?”

The red-glowing Wang Yang scoffed as well: “I’ve long let go of Helen and all that messy anger; it’s you who haven’t let go! I love Jessica, it’s that simple! Damn it! It’s you who always wants to do bastard things, always making things complicated, always seeking destruction. What are you afraid of? What do you want?” The blue-glowing Wang Yang said, “I love Jessica too, you don’t understand! I want you to get lost, I’m taking control of everything, it’s my time now!” The red-glowing Wang Yang laughed, “Your time is up! It was already over last century, you’re done.”…

“Enough, shut up!” Wang Yang shook his head in self-mockery and continued to stroll along the lakeside, knowing that the person born from the fusion of red light and blue light was himself—a person’s complexity often eludes even his own understanding.

After walking some distance, he suddenly saw a man standing by the lake, seemingly hesitating as if contemplating jumping in. Instinctively, Wang Yang yelled out: “Hey, hey! Comrade, what are you doing?” Having walked around East Lake for two or three days, this was the first time he’d seen someone so suspicious. The man in an overcoat with a round face turned to look this way and yelled frantically, “Go away! Don’t come over here!” Stunned by these words, Wang Yang paused. Not come this way? As a director, one of his skills was keen observation. After taking a few glances at the round-faced man, he quickly realized: “You want to commit suicide? It’s New Year! You want to commit suicide? Oh my god…”

It turned out that today’s events at the East Lake Plum Blossom Festival included a “Let the Plum Blossom Guide You” matchmaking event. These festivities were the buzz that Wang Yang had been part of these past few days. This man with the round face had just been through a breakup a few days ago and, struck by the setting today, he had impulsively thought about actually killing himself.

The argument between Wang Yang and the round-faced man soon drew the attention of some onlookers who came to watch and comment. A few elderly men and women tried to help by persuading: “Young man, take it easy!” “Think about your parents.” “Thinking like this is too foolish.” Seeing that the man’s death wish was not very strong, and that they could save him even if he jumped into the water, Wang Yang was not in a hurry. He first called 110 to report the incident and then phoned Natalie, asking how to talk to someone considering suicide after a breakup…

“COME ON! Come over here, comrade, what’s your name?”

Wang Yang put down his mobile phone and sincerely asked a question. Natalie said it was best to proceed through dialogue, and never to argue with, lecture, or mock someone contemplating suicide—such reverse tactics are extremely dangerous! Also, don’t say things like “everything will be okay” or “don’t be short-sighted,” which lack substance, as the older folks were saying. It’s important to encourage the person to speak up and express their feelings to relieve their stress and mood.

The round-faced man didn’t respond, just sighed woodenly: “Why did she leave me… Go! You don’t know!” Ignoring the surrounding crowd, Wang Yang immediately asked again, “What don’t I know? The taste of being lovelorn?” The attitude of the round-faced man was still dismissive: “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Then you’re mistaken,” Wang Yang shrugged, rolling his eyes in recollection. “I’ve never been through a breakup? I’ve been dumped four times! The first time, I was 12 years old, besides losing my first kiss, it wasn’t much, and I refuse to admit that was my first love.” The elderly men and women were momentarily shocked — this young man had a relationship at 12? The round-faced man was also stunned; he had never seen such a way to persuade someone—he had his first love at 12? That’s just fifth grade, nonsense! But he is quite handsome…

Wang Yang continued to share: “I was probably clueless that time; the second time, well, it wasn’t much either, better left unmentioned; the third time, in high school, she was a girl with a strong personality, played in a band, rebellious, beautiful. It took me so much effort to win her over, and at that time, I was really infatuated with her!” The elderly folks were all staring blankly, watching him recount his past: Wang Yang shook his head self-deprecatingly, “That’s just the way I am, and maybe you’re the same. If you really like someone, you go all-in. I was so into her! I gave up so much, I even put down my Super 8 and picked up an idiotic guitar! BUT!”

“And then?” a young girl from the crowd of onlookers asked. Wang Yang let out a sigh, glanced at her, and then stretched his hands towards the blue sky: “She thought I was old-fashioned, thought I couldn’t play the guitar well, listened to her band friends, and dumped me. I’ll never forget her saying ‘we’re not suitable.’ I don’t even know what would make us suitable; I was willing to do almost anything for her, OK, that was my first time being dumped! Later, I did something bad, made her friends embarrass themselves in public. Ha, a bunch of pretentious idiots!”

That year, a girl with a guitar on her back screamed madly, “Wang Yang, I’ll kill you!!”

In this small, crowded spot by the lake, everyone’s attention had shifted away from the would-be suicide. Even the round-faced man was engrossed in listening, as Wang Yang pinched his forehead and said, “That breakup hit me hard, really, I feel like that was my first true love. I told myself not to fall for a girl with that kind of personality again, not to do the foolish thing of setting aside my Super 8.” Another young woman with long hair and glasses asked, “What exactly is a Super 8?” Wang Yang gestured, “It’s a kind of home video camera that uses 8mm film.”

He got back to the point: “But soon, I fell for another kind of girl with personality, smart, opinionated, straightforward, hardly ever wore skirts, wouldn’t depend on you for anything; yet sometimes she was gentle, with a sweet smile, maybe just a tactic to make you happy. She wanted to control me, and I wanted to control her, so we battled back and forth, seeing who could wear down or outplay the other, which was quite fun. And then…”

“She dumped you again?” the round-faced man asked proactively. Wang Yang nodded and then shook his head, laughing ruefully, “We both messed up, played each other to death! She told me ‘Go die!’ Now I’m married.” Seeing him flash his wedding ring, the elderly men and women realized with surprise—he’s a young husband! A few young girls immediately felt a pang of regret; such a handsome guy had fallen! But then again, this man looks familiar, isn’t he!

“But when I had just been through a breakup, it was even worse than my first love, so much worse! I was a madman during that time.”

Wang Yang couldn’t help but run his hands through his hair, which was precisely the time when the “Blu-ray Wang Yang” took charge, scanning everyone around him, he shrugged and said with a smile, “You know I made it to the university I’d dreamed of for years, but having the one you love leave you! That feeling, I don’t understand? Don’t make me laugh! It’s like something died, the whole world abandoned you, nothing had meaning, despair, helplessness, annoyance, sometimes it’s even very awkward, any and all negative emotions really, it’s worse than dying! Walking down the street it’s like everyone is so hateful, so MEAN! Sometimes I really thought, let the Earth explode, I don’t want anything, not her coming back to me, not a new girlfriend, just let the Earth explode! Because everything was ‘WHY? Why?!’ I was so angry!” He glared at the crowd, “I was so angry!”

In that year, at the University of Southern California’s Alumni Park, Wang Yang faced off with several peers, laughing uproariously, “How about that? Don’t like the look of me, huh? Wanna fight about it? Come on, come on!” The boy he was taunting struggled to contain his rage, “You’re insane!” They were having a proper discussion about films, and along comes this madman, yelling and causing a scene, was he a freshman from this year? One of the girls couldn’t help but curse as well, “Psycho! Beat it!”

“That’s hilarious!” Wang Yang whistled but didn’t leave, “Can you believe someone said special effects ruined movies? Hey girl, is this really the University of Southern California? I thought I’d actually gone to an Ivy League school, a bunch of nerds! Always clinging to those old stubborn notions.” He laughed, pointing at the boy who was getting frustrated, “Buddy, are you trying to look cool in front of the girls? Do you think purposely spouting such idiotic ideas will make you handsome? That’s no better than saying the Golden Age was the best! Maybe you’re still a supporter of silent films, believing the advent of talkies was a disaster, Chaplin was funny, right?”

“He’s lost it!” the boy blurted out angrily but didn’t want to argue any further, after a lengthy discussion about special effects and other topics that he couldn’t win against this guy, he turned and walked away briskly, “Let’s go!”

What a mess it was at the time! Wang Yang shook his head, looking at the bystanders and the man about to attempt suicide, and suddenly burst out laughing, “This all-consuming rage almost ruined everything for me! Why is that? I understand that breakups hurt like that, that you even want to burn and destroy yourself! But hey, comrade, is it really worth it? To put it in a clichéd way, uh, there’s plenty of fish in the sea? Didn’t I go through four breakups before getting together with my current wife? Of course, I would never allow a fifth time to happen. But you…” he said earnestly, “The world is full of single women waiting for you! Give yourself a chance.”

“I don’t like anyone else, I just want her…” the round-faced man was still sighing, though his resolve had weakened, this guy made some sense. He was considering it when several security guards from the Plum Blossom Festival finally arrived and restrained him, struggling and yelling, “Let me go, just ignore me!”

The old men and old women among the crowd all breathed a sigh of relief, ready to disperse; but Wang Yang was furiously losing it, now that this guy was held by hands and feet, opposite action! He began to curse, “I don’t know what happened to you! Why she dumped you, but I’m telling you! I’m telling you! Either you go win her back, get her to come back to you; or you muster up the courage to face reality, man up, and find a new girlfriend! You want happiness, joy? You think anger and suicide will do it? Wake up! FUCK-YOU! Attempting suicide on the New Year? FUCK-YOU! If this was a few years ago when I had a bad temper, I would have kicked you down already, and if you tried to get back up, I’d kick you back down, drown you! FUCK! Take care of yourself…”

“…” The old men and old women were stunned; the young people, the round-faced man, and the security guards were all shocked as they watched the tall man, cursing as he walked away, only then coming back to their senses: “Wow, that young guy has quite the temper!” “I believe now he started dating at 12, so cool!” …

“Hahaha!” Back at the Plum Blossom grove, Wang Yang settled down on the grass beneath a plum blossom tree and burst out laughing, what was that all about! Yet, with all that commotion and swearing, it was like a brainstorm session, and many things became clear. He leaned against the plum tree, looking up at the blossoms, some proudly blooming, others wilting with the breeze, a truly beautiful world! These plum blossoms would look stunning on the big screen too, along with the laughter of children…

There’s plenty of fish in the sea. Wang Yang thought about his past, his present, thought of Helen, thought of Rachel, thought of Natalie, occasionally laughing, perhaps he really should do what Natalie said, after “Firefly”, shoot a love story? To welcome the birth of his baby, what a bad idea! This isn’t about the baby’s story, not about becoming a father’s story, it’s about love, about breakups, about letting go, it’s about time he told Blu-ray Wang Yang something, it’s time to say goodbye to the past.

The wind blew, the plum blossoms fluttered, and he smirked. (