045

The whole of July was dominated by this movie.

Celebratory images of the movie's box office breaking five hundred million, one billion, fifteen billion were circulated wildly by fans on Facebook. The forum's box office thread always floated at the top, and opening a news app showed various movie-related leaks, not to mention the video sites... UP hosts had grasped the secret to wealth, realizing that the most popular videos recently were related to "Waiting for Dawn".

What do audiences love to watch the most?

They love watching fancy rainbow farts, they love seeing UP hosts cry and show their love to little butterfly, these kinds of videos can be watched a hundred times without getting bored.

At this stage, "Waiting for Dawn" is no longer just a simple movie, it is the source of joy for netizens this summer. Eating watermelon, nibbling on ice cream while watching others lament the director's cruelty for taking away our Butterfly Goddess... that feeling is beyond beautiful.

To produce such content that hurts the hearts of audiences, cursing the director is just basic practice.

A few days ago, Director Wang even said in an interview that he's a bit of a masochist, actually enjoying reading the comments from the audience, liking to hear people say, "Wang Ping, you have no heart!"

The interviewer was astonished.

Wang Ping said: "If the audience says that, it is the greatest affirmation of me directing this movie. It is only when the actors act well and I direct well that everyone can feel this genuine emotion. If you can't immerse yourself in it, not truly love her, would you be indignant on her behalf day after day? If this were just an ordinary bad movie, the audience probably wouldn't even spare me a glance.

I have directed many movies, but this one has received the most @mentions, and I am happiest about that. My biggest wish now is that when the next movie comes out, the audience can still mock me with such genuine emotions."

Fans greatly affirmed the director's enlightenment, but did not make any promises to him.

Want to book the hype in advance?

You are dreaming.

When asked about the most memorable part of the movie filming process, including the director, assistant director, and main actors, they all pointed to the same person, Jasmine.

"The most memorable should be filming Ding Man's stage performance."

"It was Ding Man's stage performance."

"The singing scene is the most deeply etched in my memory."

Everyone, including Chi Yan, said the same. Later, the main actors of the crew were invited to a variety show, and the stage was set on fire.

They designed a segment called "Classic Reenactment," where the actors would reenact several classic scenes from the movie for the audience, with Ding Man's stage performance being the first among them.

Jasmine looked really troubled, asking the audience, "Do I really have to?"

"Yes!"

She covered her chest, repeating, "Do I really have to?"

The audience's response grew louder --

"Yes!!!" ˗ˋˏ♡ˎˊ˗

"It can be foreseen already, after this episode airs, we viewers will definitely be commenting on Facebook: Butterfly Goddess, is that it???"

The host laughed uncontrollably, "Is it really that exaggerated?"

"It is!"

"Jas, rest assured, even if there is, the viewers' criticism won't be directed at you, it will be for He Ming, played by Chi Yan. I've already thought of the trending hashtag for you all -- #He Ming, are you visually impaired?#."

Chi Yan looked innocent, "Her performance in that scene was very good."

Supporting actors couldn't believe it and dared to ask him, "Chi Yan, do you really like Jas's performance in that scene???"

"Yes."

He nodded, leaving everyone, including Jasmine, puzzled.

Seeing there was a story, the host asked what's going on?

"Ah... you won't understand with a description, let Jas perform it directly."

Jasmine briefly found the feel of the ballroom superstar and started performing. You could see her graceful movements, like a professional, transforming the ballroom superstar into the leading actress of the theater troupe.

The most impressive thing was, she even synced her lip movements perfectly, the lyrics flowing naturally become Beijing opera from her mouth.

The host and the actors she collaborated with in the movie, along with the live audience, couldn't stop laughing.

After Jasmine finished singing, someone holding their stomach said, "She sang a few lines in the movie, right? That's exactly how she was during filming. We not only had to hold back our laughter at the time but also pretend to be deeply engrossed in listening."

"The director even said we should move the scene to the theater."

"You all laughed, did Jas laugh?"

Everyone shook their heads together, "Absolutely not, we were all laughing, but she remained confident. Chi Yan too, every time he could express admiration genuinely, those two days after filming, I felt these two are really good actors, so professional."

The production team brought up the segment about setting goals again.

"That kissing scene, was it real? Or just acting?"

Jasmine waved her hand, "There's no 'just acting', that was a very pure scene, if you can't even do that, there's no need to be an actor."

Some people started teasing, saying that was a very pure scene, can we recreate it?

"Of course not, putting such scenes on TV is about emotional elevation, if we do it on our show, it just becomes a gimmick, how can that be pure?"

...

Many of Chi Yan's fans attended the recording session, and after it, they went back to their fan groups and couldn't stop praising how handsome their star was, and how pleasantly surprised they were by the little butterfly.

-- Jasmine seems to have a great personality, so good at talking.

-- Sister naturally embodies the traits of a little butterfly, that's why she portrayed the role so well. Even as a woman, I'm almost falling in love with her. The male actors who can remain steady after shooting with her are truly amazing.

-- Suddenly, the thought of Brother Chi and Brother Yu having a fight doesn't seem surprising.

Because of this movie, the fan base of the CP has grown significantly, with numerous fan arts and fan fiction being created. Even after the movie finishes its run, the hype hasn't completely died down.

Thanks to Jasmine's bet with someone, the movie's box office success skyrocketed to 2.7 billion, surpassing by a large margin, finally stopping at 2.7 billion.

What level is 2.7 billion?

It's a level that can rank among the top ten in domestic box office rankings.

Although there is still a considerable distance from the top 3, this is a very, very impressive achievement. With this box office success, supporting actors are not worried about getting roles, let alone the two main actors, as many people want to collaborate with them.

These days, Sister Chen's most spoken phrase is: "Another director contacted me wanting you to audition for their movie."

Jasmine shook her head, "Let's not take any new projects for now, Queen Ruo Jia hasn't finished filming yet. I want to take a break after it's done."

"You're on a roll..."

As a talent agent, Sister Chen still advised her to work harder. There's a saying in the industry, "When it's time to strive, go for it, there will be plenty of time to rest later when things slow down."

Jasmine waved her hand, "Can I at least have a two-month break after finishing this film? Let me rest well before taking on new projects."

"I'm just afraid that some roles may not wait for you that long, they might get taken by then."

"It's okay, choices are never limited. There are plenty of interesting roles in new films every year."

In the end, Sister Chen surrendered, "Can't argue with you. If you need rest, then rest well. I'll keep an eye out for good roles for you. By the way, how do you want to celebrate your birthday next month?"

"On that day, I'll arrange a dinner with friends myself, do a live broadcast, and chat with fans. No need for a big celebration."

Even though Jasmine didn't make a big fuss, top stars Yu Yang and Chi Yan, including Ben, still got her trending on Facebook.

After midnight, this group went to her Facebook to leave birthday wishes.

Chi Yan V:

Happy birthday, little butterfly.

Yu Yang V:

Happy birthday to my goddess Cat.

Ben V:

Happy birthday, lady, be happy every day.

Meng Meng V:

Wishing sister happiness forever.

...

The circle of super-rich second-generation was sending blessings crazily, and directors and fellow artists she had worked with before couldn't stand missing out, making Facebook lively as if it were Chinese New Year.

Originally, onlookers just marveled at Jasmine's extensive network, but then they found Yu Yang and Chi Yan's fans started a fight.

It started with an activist reposting Yu Yang's Moments where he complained about why the top post was a birthday wish from He rose (Chi Yan).

Netizens were amused.

-- Because he has more likes.

-- His likes is a lot.

-- What's the problem with highly liked posts being at the top?

-- What's wrong with CP fans being awesome?

-- Are you guys dumb to think that Yu Yang doesn't know why he's ranked lower? Isn't this just boosting fans to like?

-- I've only heard of boosting sales, not boosting likes...

-- Is the one reposting the WeChat Moments really Yu Yang himself? I feel like it's him?

-- @Yu Yang, come out! I know you're reading this thread!

-- Come out! You come out!

...

While netizens were having a good laugh, the fan sisters started to act, rallying to help her brother take the top likes, determined not to let the opponents stay on top.

They were so fierce, would Chi Yan's family not fight back?

That night, Jasmine slept sweetly, and when she woke up early in the morning and checked her phone, oh my!

Her Facebook and WeChat were blowing up.

Birthday wishes flooded her WeChat private messages, but on Facebook... it was a battlefield of top's fans. Overnight, both Yu Yang and Chi Yan's fans gave Jasmine millions of likes. Now, Chi Yan was leading the likes, and underneath his birthday wish, new comments kept coming, saying: "Since Yu Yang wants to be first, I'll support a wave of Chi Yan, obsessed CP fans!"

Even though he's a top star, can he and his fans beat the intentional and silly netizens who are going against them???

In the early hours of the morning, the battle between the two sides intensified. After 7 o'clock, more passersby joined in, and the distance between the two sides grew wider and wider.

Yu Yang exploded.

He criticized the netizens in a private chat with Jasmine for their inhumane behavior!

Jasmine: ...

[Brother, are you saying you want to eat the food I make today?]

-- [Impressed that you remembered →_→]

[Why don't you come early then?]

-- [Now? Isn't it a bit too early?]

[Because many have already sent me birthday gifts, and my place is full of stuff. If you come early, you can help me move and unpack some of them.]

-- [...]

-- [Sister, how can you say this so calmly? Do you expect me, a person who earns tens of thousands in minutes to come help you move gifts?]

[/smiling]

[Are you coming?]

-- [Yes, yes, please waiting for me.]

Apart from Yu Yang, Jasmine urgently called Ben and the others. An hour later, Meng Meng directed these handsome guys, whose status was higher than the sky, to load the gifts collected by the property management into a handcart and deliver them to Jasmine's doorstep. They pushed several carts, unpacked the outer packaging at the doorstep, sorted the trash, and then placed the boxes in the living room one by one.

After arranging them, they discovered the most outrageous item - a large box that was over a meter long, wide, and high.

Enormous and heavy.

"Is this a box of gold bars? Why is it so heavy?"

"Is there a card attached on top? Who is it addressed to?"

Meng Meng reached for a red envelope nearby, "Shouldn't big sis open this herself?"

Jasmine had just put the soup on and brought out some washed fruits for them. When she saw Meng Meng holding the envelope, she asked what was going on.

"My brother wants to know who sent such a big box. Sis, could you take a look?"

Ben: "...Why does it seem like I'm the one who wants to know? Don't you all want to know?"

Yu Yang: "We do, little sis, take a look."

So, let's take a look.

Jasmine took the red cardboard envelope, opened it, and took out the greeting card inside, which said "Happy Birthday" and was signed by Chi Yan.

"Sent by Chi Yan."

Yu Yang jumped up in place, "Sent by Chi Yan???"

He looked left and right, unable to figure out what it could be.

He was at a loss.

"Is it some kind of artwork? A self-made sculpture?"

"A sculpture made of iron? It's so heavy."

"Or maybe it's a whole box of records or books. Did sis ever mention what she likes to anyone?"

Jasmine shook her head, "I don't think so."

Yu Yang urged her to open it to see what it was, saying it's better to thank the person after seeing it.

It made sense to think that way.

So, Jasmine opened the customized gift box and was stunned when she saw what was inside. Those around her were also puzzled, wondering what it could be.

"It seems to be some kind of machine."

"What kind of machine?"

"There's a manual and a warranty card. It's a smart dishwasher."

...???

For a moment, Yu Yang felt ashamed for having clashed with this weirdo for years.

A dishwasher.

Who gives a dishwasher as a birthday gift?

Ben looked up the model and found out that this thing was not cheap; it was like the Hermes of dishwashers, a luxury item.

Jasmine didn't quite understand. No matter how luxurious it was, wasn't it still just a dishwasher?

Yu Yang was quick to react.

While others were puzzled, he thought back to when Sis Dogie and Chi Yan had promoted a movie together and had talked about their desired lifestyle on a variety show. During the chat, Jasmine mentioned that she was good at cooking but hated washing dishes...

Chi Yan really had his eyes on Sis Dogie!

But after seeing the dishwasher, Yu Yang felt relieved, realizing Chi Yan was out of reach.

*

The most bewildering birthday gift that year was indeed this dishwasher, but it wasn't what made her collapse.

Around noon, Sister Chen had her assistant send over a small box, saying it was a gift entrusted by the author Andrew Yan.

When Sis Dogie heard that it was from the author Andrew Yan, her expression changed.

She couldn't fathom the reason for the gift, but since it had arrived, out of basic respect, she had to open it.

Compared to the dishwasher, this box was quite lightweight.

Jasmine untied the ribbon, opened the box, and saw another card inside. The card stated that it was not for public release, a birthday gift for Jasmine.

It turned out to be the story he had mentioned on social media after watching a drama show, the one that fans of his novels had been eagerly waiting for him to complete.

He had indeed finished it and even revised it twice, then self-published a copy to give to Jasmine.

To the mystery writer, his work was the most sincere gift.

Jasmine felt like crying, not out of being touched.

Just out of wondering what sin she had committed to receive such a heart-wrenching novel on her birthday.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Yu Yang: I'm laughing so hard! 

Jasmine: I'm having a really tough time...