Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 212 Second Senior Sister's Screen Debut

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On a summer night in the small town, the heat had not yet dissipated. People gathered under the old banyan trees on both sides of the street, fanning themselves to cool off, and the streetlights cast long, slanted shadows.

As the movie theater closed, a large number of people, mostly young couples or families with children, poured out.

Chen Anran and Feng Xiaolu walked out of the screening room with the crowd. Feng Xiaolu was still holding a half-eaten bucket of popcorn in one hand and a glass of melted cola that was now just ice water in the other. Her face still had the flush of excitement from the movie.

"This movie..." Feng Xiaolu smacked her lips as she walked, shoveling the last few popcorn kernels into her mouth, and mumbled her review, "The title is quite mysterious, but the plot is easy to guess. It's just that reincarnation thing, right? But the visuals are really beautiful."

"Third Senior Sister seems quite engrossed in watching." Chen Anran walked beside her, her tone casual.

"Of course, we can't just look for nothing." Feng Xiaolu threw the empty bucket and cup into the roadside trash can, patted the crumbs off her hands, and suddenly turned to look at him, her eyes sparkling under the streetlight. "Junior brother, do you think... reincarnation really exists? Like in the movies, searching for the same person over and over again?"

Chen Anran did not stop walking. "The concept of reincarnation is discussed in both Buddhism and Taoism. But if one loses all memories and is completely unrecognizable, even if there is a karmic connection from a previous life, how can one be sure that it is 'the same person'? Clinging to this might cause one to miss the present moment."

"Hmm...that's true." Feng Xiaolu scratched her cheek, feeling a little hot for some reason. She quickened her pace, walked in front of Chen Anran, then turned around and walked backwards to face him. "So tell me, if there really was a past life, what kind of relationship would we have had?"

After asking the question, she realized her statement sounded a bit odd and quickly added, "I was just making a random assumption! Movie aftereffects, aftereffects!"

Chen Anran looked at her slightly reddened earlobes, smiled, and instead of answering directly, asked, "What kind of relationship does Third Senior Sister hope for?"

"I..." Feng Xiaolu was speechless, her heels almost tripping on the uneven ground. She wobbled for a moment before regaining her balance, a little embarrassed and angry. "I'm not guessing anymore! It's no fun! Let's go, let's go back quickly, it's so hot."

Feng Xiaolu was about to urge Chen Anran to leave quickly when she was suddenly drawn to the conversation of another group of audience members who had just left the theater.

"This is amazing! I originally watched it for the lead actress, but I ended up becoming a fan of the third female lead!"

"Right, right! Although she doesn't have many lines and doesn't show much expression, she's really beautiful! And her action scenes, wow, so clean and crisp, she's so cool!"

"It's not just clean and crisp, did you see that bamboo forest sword dance in the middle? That sword-twisting movement, and that sideways thrust, it doesn't look like acting at all, the power and angles are so realistic! You can't be that natural when you're on wires!"

"It's a pity that the film had too few screenings and almost no online promotion, it was buried..."

"What was the third female lead's name again? It sounds like a completely unfamiliar name in the cast list... Wei, Wei Qingyi?"

"Yes, Wei Qingyi. A newcomer, right? But her skills are definitely those of a trained professional; she might be from some martial arts team..."

Feng Xiaolu abruptly stopped in her tracks, the heat on her face instantly vanished, her eyes widened, and she instinctively grabbed Chen Anran's arm.

"Junior brother...did you hear that?" she whispered, her voice filled with disbelief. "They're talking about...Wei Qingyi?!"

Chen Anran also stopped and listened to the discussion of the audience who were walking away. A hint of surprise flashed across her calm eyes.

Then, their eyes simultaneously turned to the promotional signboard standing at the entrance of the movie theater not far away.

The standee mainly promoted several popular commercial films, while in an inconspicuous corner, there was a small hand-drawn poster with a background of ink wash landscape. The title of the film, "The Record of Cloud Mountain Patrol," was written in calligraphy at the top of the poster, and there were stills of several main characters below.

At the edge, there was indeed a silhouette dressed in a light blue outfit, holding a long sword. The face was cold and the features were exquisite. Although the makeup and style were completely different from usual, the outline of the eyebrows and eyes was clearly Wei Qingyi!

"It really is Second Senior Sister!" Feng Xiaolu released Chen Anran's arm, rushed to the poster, pointed at the small profile, and exclaimed, "Why is she making movies?!"

The dim lighting at the cinema entrance cast a hazy glow on Wei Qingyi's aloof profile, making her appear even more unreal. Feng Xiaolu's finger almost poked into the paper.

Feng Xiaolu looked utterly shocked, as if betrayed. "This heartless person... actually went off to make a movie secretly? They even kept it from me!"

Chen Anran's gaze lingered on the poster for a moment before shifting to the inconspicuous screening schedule posted in the corner. "The Record of Cloud Mountain Patrol" only had two screenings a day. He took out his phone and quickly searched for information about the film.

Search results were scarce. There was no large-scale promotion, no interviews with the lead actors, and only sporadic discussions on a few niche film review websites. The ratings were not low, especially for the action scenes and a certain "fleeting glimpse of a female knight-errant in blue."

In the video, Wang Rui sits on the sofa in the interview room, holding a microphone, his face flushed with excitement. The background shows the logo of Starry Pictures, and Zhang Hao and Sun Wei sit next to him, looking slightly reserved but equally serious.

The reporter is asking: "...Regarding the role of 'Qing Yan,' the third female lead in 'The Legend of Yunshan,' some viewers and film critics have mentioned that actress Wei Qingyi's performance style...is rather restrained, with some even believing that she has no facial expressions throughout the entire series, classifying it as 'expressionless acting.' As investors, what is your opinion on this?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Rui's eyebrows shot up immediately, and his voice rose: "Slander! This is utter slander!"

He slammed the microphone down on the coffee table with a bang, his voice booming through the device: "What's a blank expression? Do you even know what sophisticated negative space is? What is Qing Yan's character? She's a sword immortal who's cultivated for a thousand years! A reclusive master who has witnessed the ebb and flow of the world, her heart as still as water! You're making her act like a commoner, making faces and shouting—does that even feel right?!"

Zhang Hao, who was standing next to him, adjusted his glasses and took over the conversation, trying to sound objective and calm: "From the character's perspective, Qingyan's emotional expression is inherently extremely restrained. Ms. Wei Qingyi's performance precisely captured this quality of 'divinity outweighing humanity.' Every glance, every pause in her breath, even the subtle adjustment of her posture, was all in service of the character."

Sun Wei nodded in agreement, her tone both gentle and assertive: "We've received more feedback praising Ms. Wei's portrayal of a character for having a 'realistic ethereal quality,' a unique quality that many special effects and makeup techniques cannot impart. As for the so-called 'lack of acting skills'... perhaps the critics simply haven't grasped this unconventional level of performance."

The reporter seemed a little bewildered by the three's rapid-fire defense, and paused before continuing, "Then... regarding the rumors circulating online that Ms. Wei Qingyi got into the cast through special connections..."

"Nonsense!" Wang Rui interrupted the reporter directly. "The casting process was completely open and transparent! Ms. Wei won over all the judges through a formal audition with her unique temperament and... well, her... back-to-basics acting style! Anyone spreading these unfounded rumors is defaming us! Starry Pictures reserves the right to pursue legal action!"