Chapter 10: The Thoughts Behind the Smile

40. The Thoughts Behind the Smile

Night had fallen.

Yet the living room of The Single Society was brightly lit, and the dining table was covered with steaming dishes. In the center stood a large two-tiered cake that had just been picked up from the bakery.

Several large words were written on the cake in frosting: “Happy Birthday, Qiu Chen! May The Four Talented Men of Jiangnan Be a Box-Office Hit!”

The moment Big Liu saw the cake, he immediately slapped Qiu Chen on the shoulder and laughed loudly. “Brother Qiu, you’ve got two reasons to celebrate today!”

Zhu Erdong joined in the excitement. “Birthday plus a box-office hit. How many times in a lifetime do you get a lucky break like this?”

“Exactly!” Lin Wanhua came over carrying drinks.

“No one is allowed to look gloomy today. Qiu Chen, you’re the birthday boy. Give us a smile first!”

Everyone chattered excitedly and pushed Qiu Chen in front of the cake.

Looking at all those familiar faces in front of him, Qiu Chen felt a warm rush inside. These people were not related to him by blood, yet they had taken him in when he was at his lowest point, and now they were celebrating his birthday for him. He really could not bear to spoil everyone’s fun.

“All right, all right. I’ll smile.” Qiu Chen forced a smile. “Is this good enough?”

“No!” Lin Wanhua immediately shook her head.

“You call that a smile? It looks like someone is pointing a gun at you and forcing you to take a picture!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Sun Qing laughed too. But amid the laughter, her eyes remained fixed on Qiu Chen’s face. She noticed that there was no real smile in his eyes.

After everyone finished singing the birthday song, Qiu Chen closed his eyes and blew out the candles.

“Happy birthday!”

“May the movie be a huge box-office hit!”

“Become a great director soon!”

Everyone cheered.

Qiu Chen cut the cake and handed out one piece after another.

“This piece is for Sister Bao.”

“This one is for Wanhua.”

“Big Guy, yours is the biggest.”

“Why?” Big Liu stared at him with wide eyes.

Qiu Chen smiled. “Because you have the biggest appetite.”

“Now that’s more like it!”

Another round of laughter filled the room.

Only Sun Qing said nothing. She looked at Qiu Chen. She knew that something must be hidden behind those smiles.

After dinner, everyone cleared the table. Some washed the dishes, while others took out the trash. The living room was still full of lively conversation.

Qiu Chen, however, quietly returned to his room. The moment the door closed, the laughter outside seemed to be shut out all at once. Only the dim yellow light from a desk lamp remained in the room. Qiu Chen sat on the edge of the bed, his hands clasped against his forehead. The box-office report from that day was still lying on the desk. Those impressive numbers should have made him happy, but now they did not bring him the slightest joy. The better the box office looked, the heavier his heart felt.

“Why did it turn out like this...?” he murmured softly. He had originally just wanted to make a good movie. He had originally just wanted to bring back what he had learned in the United States. But now, because of him, the company had split into two camps.

On one side was the old guard led by Pei Lingxian.

On the other were the younger crew members who supported him.

He did not want to see anyone lose their job because of this, and even less did he want to see Big Boss Guo Wuyong forced to choose between the two sides.

“Could it be... that I really did something wrong?”

Just then, a soft knock came from outside the door.

Knock, knock.

Qiu Chen did not answer, but the door slowly opened anyway. Sun Qing poked her head inside.

“Still not asleep?”

Qiu Chen looked up and forced a smile. “Why aren’t you resting yet?”

“I could tell something was wrong with you.” Sun Qing walked into the room and sat down beside him.

She did not immediately question him. She simply sat there quietly, looking at him. After a long while, she finally said softly, “Everyone is happy. You’re the only one who keeps smiling for everyone else.”

Qiu Chen froze for a moment. “Am I?”

“You are.” Sun Qing nodded.

“Do you really think other people can’t tell?”

Qiu Chen fell silent.

Sun Qing looked at him, her voice becoming gentler. “Today is your birthday, and it’s also the day your movie became a box-office hit. If something is really bothering you, just talk about it.”

Qiu Chen lowered his head. “The company... has a problem.”

“Director Pei?” Sun Qing guessed immediately.

Qiu Chen nodded. “He thinks I took his position.”

“But the movie succeeded.”

“Success isn’t the problem.” Qiu Chen gave a bitter smile.

“The problem is that the company is starting to split apart.”

He told Sun Qing everything that had happened at the meeting that day, from Pei Lingxian questioning Guo Wuyong in front of everyone, to the two sides gradually forming in the meeting room, and finally to Guo Wuyong being caught in the middle. When he finished, Qiu Chen let out a long breath.

“I just wanted to make the movie well.” He smiled bitterly. “I never thought it would end up like this.”

Sun Qing listened quietly. “So you think you’re the one who caused the company to become like this?”

“Isn’t it?” Qiu Chen looked up.

“If I hadn’t come back, if I hadn’t made those suggestions, maybe Director Pei wouldn’t have felt threatened, and the company wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.”

Sun Qing shook her head. “Qiu Chen, have you ever thought about something?”

“What?”

“If a company can split apart just because a young man comes up with a few good ideas, is the problem really with that young man?”

Qiu Chen was stunned.

Sun Qing looked at him. “You were simply doing what you believed was right.”

“But...”

“No buts.” She interrupted him. “You can’t let someone else’s jealousy make you doubt your own abilities.”

Qiu Chen fell silent.

Sun Qing reached out and gathered up the box-office report from the desk.

“Today is your birthday.” She smiled faintly. “Don’t think about things that give you a headache.”

Qiu Chen looked at her. “Then what should I think about?”

“Think about the cake.”

“The cake?”

“Yes.” Sun Qing deliberately put on a stern face. “You barely ate any today. You gave almost all of it away to everyone else.”

Qiu Chen could not help laughing. This time, the smile was genuine. “The way you put it, I guess you have a point.”

“Of course I do.” Sun Qing stood up.

When she reached the door, she paused and looked back at Qiu Chen.

“Qiu Chen.”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t forget, you’re not alone.”

With that, she gently closed the door. The room became quiet again.

Qiu Chen sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the closed door without saying a word for a long time. After a while, he lowered his head and looked at the piece of birthday cake on the desk. The frosting letters on the cake had already become slightly crooked.

He suddenly smiled. “Not alone...”

Outside the window, the night was deep and dark. At the other end of The Single Society, the sounds of everyone clearing the dishes and chatting could still be heard from the living room.

At that moment, Qiu Chen realized for the first time that perhaps what he truly needed to face was not only the choice of where his film career would go.

It was also the people who had quietly stayed by his side throughout his life.

41. The Compromise Between Talent and the Market

In the production company that afternoon, sunlight slanted through the gaps between the blinds, casting alternating bands of light and shadow across the long conference table.

The walls were covered with posters of movies the company had made over the years. There were martial arts films, romance films, and also the comedy films that had become hugely popular in recent years. Most eye-catching of all was The Four Talented Men of Jiangnan, which had recently become a major box-office hit.

Qiu Chen stood in front of the posters, looking at the exaggerated and comical appearances of the actors on the poster, but there was little pride on his face. He knew that although the movie had succeeded, it had also brought the conflicts within the company to the surface.

Footsteps sounded behind him.

“Qiu Chen, you didn’t ask me to come here just to admire your company’s movie posters, did you?”

Lin Wanhua walked in with her arms crossed, her eyes sweeping across the wall. Her tone was half joking and half wary.

Qiu Chen turned around and smiled. “Of course not. The person who really wants to see you today isn’t me.”

“Then who is it?”

“Mr. Guo.”

Wanhua frowned. “Mr. Guo?”

“Yes.” Qiu Chen gestured for her to come along. “Let’s go. He’s already waiting for us in his office.”

Wanhua did not immediately move forward. She looked at Qiu Chen and lowered her voice. “What exactly did you say to him?”

“I just told him that someone with real talent for writing contemporary films shouldn’t be treated as nothing more than a ghostwriter.”

Those words left Wanhua stunned for a moment. She did not answer. She merely pressed her lips together slightly and followed Qiu Chen toward the general manager’s office.

Inside the office, Guo Wuyong sat behind his large desk, flipping through a stack of documents.

Hearing the knock, he looked up.

“Come in.”

Qiu Chen pushed open the door. “Boss, I brought her.”

Guo Wuyong immediately put down the documents and stood up. “Are you Miss Lin?”

“Hello, Mr. Guo.” Wanhua gave him a polite nod.

“Come, have a seat. Make yourselves comfortable.” The three of them sat down in the sitting area. After the secretary brought in coffee, she quietly left the room.

Guo Wuyong did not beat around the bush. He took a sip of coffee and got straight to the point.

“Miss Lin, I’ve read your screenplay.”

Wanhua said nothing.

“The fact that The Four Talented Men of Jiangnan has achieved this box office has a lot to do with you.”

Wanhua smiled faintly. “That movie wasn’t the work of just me.”

“You’re being modest.” Guo Wuyong waved his hand. “A movie is a collective effort, that’s true, but the screenplay is the skeleton. If the skeleton isn’t good, no matter how beautiful the actors are or how skillfully the director shoots, you’ll still have nothing but a pile of pretty pictures.”

Wanhua relaxed slightly after hearing this.

Guo Wuyong leaned forward a little. “So I want to invite you to officially join our company.”

Wanhua was stunned. “Join?”

“Not as a ghostwriter.” Guo Wuyong deliberately emphasized the words. “I want you to write a series of contemporary films for the company.”

Qiu Chen smiled beside her.

Wanhua did not immediately agree. After a moment of silence, she asked, “What kind of works do you mean by ‘a series of contemporary films,’ Mr. Guo?”

“Urban life, romance, the workplace, women’s growth. We can even touch on some social issues. In short, we’ll make stories about modern people.” Guo Wuyong spoke with growing enthusiasm. “Our company can’t rely on costume comedies forever. The success of The Four Talented Men of Jiangnan only proves that we have the ability to make movies that audiences want to see. It doesn’t mean we can only make this kind of movie.”

For the first time, Wanhua showed genuine interest. “If that’s the case, I’m willing to give it a try.”

Guo Wuyong smiled. “Not just give it a try. I mean signing a formal contract and working together long-term.”

Wanhua raised one finger. “However, I have one condition.”

Guo Wuyong raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“If you want me to write contemporary films, I hope the company will really treat them as movies and make them that way.”

Guo Wuyong was momentarily confused. “What do you mean?”

Wanhua glanced at the poster of The Four Talented Men of Jiangnan on the wall.

“I have nothing against entertainment, and I have nothing against making people laugh by acting foolish. But I don’t want to write those jokes that are forcibly stuffed into a story just to make the audience laugh.” Her tone grew increasingly serious. “When the characters have no soul and the whole production relies on exaggerated acting, cheap gimmicks, and deliberately manufactured farce to keep things going, I really don’t want to write that kind of thing.”

Qiu Chen, sitting beside her, could not help smiling. “Are you criticizing your own screenplay?”

Wanhua glared at him. “Oh, stop making sarcastic remarks.”

Guo Wuyong, however, was not angry. Instead, he smiled.

“Miss Lin, do you know what I admire most about you right now?”

Wanhua was stunned.

“Someone who dares to negotiate terms with the boss at least has ideas of her own.” Guo Wuyong stood up and walked over to the window.

Outside was a sea of high-rises and streams of traffic.

“But making movies is still, after all, a business. Success or failure is ultimately determined by the box office.” He turned around. “I can let you make serious contemporary films, and I can give you creative freedom. But...”

Wanhua looked at him. “But what?”

“We can’t completely abandon costume comedies.”

Those words left Qiu Chen stunned. “Wanhua, that’s not what I mean.”

“I know.” Her voice slowed. “But I really don’t want to go back to those days.”

Qiu Chen sighed. “Then what do you want me to do?”

“That’s your problem.”

“But I want us to keep doing this together.”

“So do I.” A softness briefly appeared in Wanhua’s eyes.

“But working together doesn’t mean we have to accept every condition.”

The two fell silent.

In the room next door, Sister Bao and Sun Qing had been sorting clothes, but they stopped what they were doing at almost the same moment.

Wanhua’s voice was not loud, but it still came clearly through the thin wall.

“Qiu Chen, I really don’t want to compromise anymore.”

Sun Qing glanced at Sister Bao. “They’re arguing again.”

Sister Bao did not answer.

She leaned against the wall and listened quietly for a while.

Suddenly, she said, “Qing.”

“Hmm?”

“Have you ever thought about something?”

“What?”

Sister Bao turned around. “Since the two of them are so talented, why do they have to work for someone else?”

Sun Qing was stunned. “You mean...”

“Start their own company.” Sister Bao’s eyes lit up.

“Start a film company?” Sun Qing blinked. “But starting a film company takes a lot of startup capital.”

“I’ll figure out the money.”

“Sister Bao...”

“I’ve saved a little money over the years too.” Sister Bao smiled. “Qiu Chen can handle production, Wanhua can handle screenwriting, and the two of them already have successful work. Why can’t they make their own way?”

The more Sun Qing listened, the more reasonable it sounded. “Then they won’t have to put up with those old-timers at the company anymore.”

“Exactly.” Sister Bao nodded. “Most importantly, they can make the movies they truly want to make.”

Sun Qing thought about it and could not help smiling. “Sister Bao, this idea of yours... really might work.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.”

“But will the two of them agree?”

Sister Bao looked toward the room next door. Inside, Qiu Chen and Wanhua’s voices had gradually grown quieter.

Sister Bao smiled. “We can’t guess about something like this.”

“Then what should we do?”

“Ask the two of them to sit down and talk.”

Sun Qing immediately nodded. “Okay.”

She took Sister Bao’s hand. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Sister Bao smiled and patted the back of her hand. “Don’t worry. This time, we’ll help the two of them find a path of their own.”

On the other side of the wall, Qiu Chen and Wanhua still had no idea. While they were arguing over whether they should bow to reality, an entirely new path had already quietly begun to take shape inside The Single Society.

44. Turning the Dream into Their Own Story

As the night deepened, only one warm yellow floor lamp remained lit in the living room of The Single Society.

The occasional sound of cars passing along the street came from outside the window, along with the rumble of motorcycles in the distance. Three cups of hot tea sat on the coffee table, steam rising slowly and forming a faint mist in the lamplight.

Sister Bao, Ji Baozhu, sat in the middle of the sofa, her hands folded over her knees, her expression unusually serious.

Lin Wanhua sat to her right. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were more determined than usual.

Qiu Chen sat in the single armchair opposite them, holding his teacup in his hands. From the moment he entered the room until now, he had not taken a single sip.

Sister Bao looked at the two of them and spoke first. “I asked you two to come here today because I want to ask you something.”

Qiu Chen looked up. “What?”

Sister Bao did not answer immediately. Instead, she picked up her teacup and gently blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface.

“You two, instead of letting the company hold you back, have you ever thought about simply doing it yourselves?”

Qiu Chen was stunned for a moment. “Do it ourselves?”

“Yes.” Sister Bao put down her teacup, her eyes moving between the two of them.

“Stop working for other people, and stop making yourselves suffer because of the company’s internal factional struggles.”

Qiu Chen fell silent.

Wanhua, however, smiled. “I agree.”

She answered so quickly that Qiu Chen was stunned. “Wanhua?”

Wanhua turned to look at him. “What? Are you afraid?”

“It’s not that I’m afraid...” Qiu Chen frowned.

“Starting a film company isn’t as simple as writing a screenplay. Equipment, funding, actors, crew members, distribution... which one doesn’t cost money? We don’t even have a decent office right now.”

Wanhua raised an eyebrow. “So you’re scared?”

“I just think we need to think it through.”

“Think it through?” Wanhua suddenly laughed. “Qiu Chen, you weren’t like this before.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you first came back from the United States, didn’t you have nothing?” Wanhua stared at him.

“You only had a few dozen dollars on you, and didn’t you still throw yourself headfirst into the film industry? People treated you like a gofer, and you didn’t leave. They used you as a stand-in, and you almost fell to your death, but you still didn’t leave. You broke two ribs, and you were still thinking about making movies.”

Qiu Chen was speechless.

“Now that you finally have a chance to make your own movies, you’re starting to worry about everything?”

“I’m not afraid.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”

Qiu Chen did not answer.

The living room fell silent. Sister Bao looked at Qiu Chen without urging him, simply waiting quietly.

After a long while, Qiu Chen finally said softly, “I just don’t want other people to get hurt because of me anymore.”

Wanhua was stunned.

Qiu Chen smiled bitterly. “Huaxia Film Company has already split into two camps. The people on Director Pei’s side think I took his position, and Mr. Guo’s regard for my work and yours has made things unpleasant inside the company.”

“So?” Wanhua asked calmly.

“So if I leave now, things at the company might become even worse.”

Wanhua looked at him and suddenly shook her head gently. “Qiu Chen, you still don’t understand.”

“Understand what?”

“You’re not the company’s savior.” Her tone was not harsh, but each word struck Qiu Chen deeply.

“Whether a company splits apart isn’t something one person can decide. What truly causes the division is those people’s interests and power.”

Qiu Chen lowered his head and looked at the teacup in his hands.

Wanhua continued, “If we give up our dreams because we’re afraid of what other people think, then we’ll spend our entire lives helping other people fulfill their dreams.”

Those words made Qiu Chen look up. Her eyes were shining in the lamplight.

“I’ve already been deceived by Chai Xin once. I don’t want to be someone else’s ghostwriter again.”

Sister Bao nodded slightly when she heard this. “That’s why I asked the two of you to come here.”

She reached under the coffee table, took out an envelope, and placed it on the table.

“This is the first amount of money I can put up.”

Qiu Chen was startled. “Sister Bao, you...”

“Don’t refuse just yet.” Sister Bao raised a hand to stop him. “I’m not giving it to you. It’s an investment.”

“But...”

“You two have ability. I can see that.” Sister Bao smiled. “And the greatest skill I’ve developed in my life isn’t making money. It’s knowing people.”

Wanhua could not help laughing. “Sister Bao, you sound very confident when you say that.”

“Of course.” Sister Bao deliberately puffed out her chest. “If I couldn’t even recognize the talent in the two of you, then I wouldn’t deserve to be the big sister of this community.”

All three of them laughed. The atmosphere immediately became much more relaxed.

Wanhua suddenly straightened up. “Since we’re going to do this, I already know what our first movie should be.”

Qiu Chen looked at her. “That fast?”

“Because the story has been right here around us all along.”

Wanhua looked around the living room. A group photo they had taken together hung on the wall. Business cards that Big Liu and Zhu Erdong had left behind were still on the coffee table, and even the easel Yukan used for drawing was piled in the corner.

She smiled. “Let’s make The Single Society.”

Qiu Chen was stunned. Sister Bao was stunned too.

“Make... us?”

“Yes.” Wanhua’s eyes grew brighter. “Put all of us into the story.” She pointed around the living room.

“Sister Bao is the big boss of the community. Big Guy is that lovable fool who is always thinking about making money. Zhu Erdong is his partner. Yukan can play the big guy who draws portraits in the park. Guanghua, Ningjing, Sun Qing... everyone has a story of their own.”

Qiu Chen listened, absorbed in her words.

The more Wanhua spoke, the more excited she became. “This isn’t a story about rich people, and it isn’t some story about a wealthy family fighting among themselves.”

She paused. “It’s simply the story of a group of ordinary people from different places and different backgrounds who live under the same roof, help one another, and support one another.”

Sister Bao’s eyes slowly softened. “Isn’t that exactly us?”

“Exactly.” Wanhua smiled.

“We’re not making a movie about a house.” She looked at the two of them and said each word clearly. “We’re making a movie about people who aren’t related by blood but eventually become a family.”

The living room suddenly fell silent.

Qiu Chen lowered his head, deep in thought. After a moment, he looked up.

“If we really make this...”

“What?”

“I’ll direct it myself and be behind the camera.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Wanhua’s mouth. “I knew you’d say that. You’re the only person for the job.”

Sister Bao slapped her thigh. “Then it’s settled!”

She stood up and held out her right hand. “The three of us are officially partners!”

Wanhua was the first to put her hand on top. “Okay.”

Qiu Chen looked at the two of them, hesitated for several seconds, and finally extended his hand as well. Three hands were stacked together.

“Let’s do it!” The three looked at one another and smiled.

Outside the window, a late-night breeze passed by. The curtains of The Single Society fluttered gently, as if the first page of an entirely new story had quietly been turned.

45. Qiu Chen’s Determination

The next morning.

The atmosphere in the conference room of Huaxia Film Company was unusually heavy.

Qiu Chen stood in front of Boss Guo and placed his resignation letter on the desk. Boss Guo glanced at it, and his brow immediately furrowed.

“Have you really made up your mind?”

“Yes.”

“Qiu Chen, do you know how many people outside want to get into the film industry?” Boss Guo looked up at him.

“You’ve only just gotten started, and your future prospects are promising. You have opportunities, resources, and achievements right now. Why would you choose to leave at this point?”

Qiu Chen was silent for a moment. “Because I don’t want the company to keep fighting because of me.”

Xing Zheng could not help speaking up. “Qiu Chen, you’re just too honest!”

Li Mingli also shook his head. “What do the company’s internal factional struggles have to do with you?”

Qiu Chen smiled bitterly. “But the situation really did start because of me.”

“So what?” Tony, standing nearby, finally could not hold back. “Qiu Chen, if you leave, I’ll be the first one who can’t bear to see you go.”

Qiu Chen patted him on the shoulder. “Tony, thank you.”

Boss Guo let out a long breath. “I’ll give you one more chance. Think it over carefully.”

Qiu Chen shook his head. “Mr. Guo, you don’t need to try to keep me.”

He looked at the boss who had once given him a chance, and his eyes were filled with nothing but gratitude.

“If it weren’t for you, I might not have made it this far. So I hope even more that we can still be friends in the future.”

Boss Guo remained silent for a long time, then finally nodded with a bitter smile. “You young man...”

He stood up and held out his hand. “Your wings have grown strong. Then go fly.”

Qiu Chen shook his hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Guo.”

The sunlight outside the window was bright. Qiu Chen picked up his briefcase and took one last look at the production studio that had once made him suffer so much, yet had also brought him closer than ever to his dream of making movies.

Then he turned and walked out.

This time, he was not leaving the movies. He was preparing to truly begin making his own.