Chapter 265: Two Endings, Global Premiere?
Ke Ying.
Background too big to mention.
He is one of the founders of the Beijing Circle.
At that time, Director Feng was still a small card, and Guoshi was still a struggling photographer.
By 2026, he had long stopped mixing in the entertainment industry, only retiring behind the scenes to do some investment.
If someone else spoke up, it might have no effect on Chi Ye now, but if it was Ke Ying, that was indeed a very tricky matter.
Ke Ying’s first marriage was with Wen Lijuan, but the two divorced very early. Over these years, the industry has always rumored that the two still have contact, and some say the two have long cut ties completely.
Chi Ye thought of this information in his mind, and the phone call he made to Mom Wen was connected.
“Hello? Who is it?”
“Mom Wen, it’s me.”
“Oh my, Chi Ye, what’s up with calling your sister today?”
On the other end of the phone, Wen Lijuan was playing mahjong with four or five besties, and upon hearing Chi Ye’s voice, she was pleasantly surprised and immediately said: “Wait a sec, don’t speak yet…”
She pressed the speaker button on her old phone, then casually said to the surprised besties around her: “Eh, it’s Chi Ye’s call, he probably misses me, has to call me every night, he probably won’t be this close with his future partner.”
“This child, hey, so clingy!”
The besties around: “…”
They too perked up their ears one by one, while casually saying on the surface: “Yeah yeah yeah, we know you have a good relationship with Chi Ye.”
“Eh, you all wait…”
After Mom Wen showed off a bit lightly, she picked up the phone again and asked Chi Ye: “Chi Ye, what’s up? Speak.”
“Um… should we find a private place to talk?”
Just now, although Wen Lijuan had put the phone on the table and was boasting to her besties, Chi Ye still vaguely heard the content on the other end and kindly suggested.
But Mom Wen waved her hand carelessly: “No outsiders here, all aunts and older sisters around me are the ones you met last time, just say it, are you asking your sister to introduce you a partner? Your sister really has a few nice young girls here…”
“No, no.”
Chi Ye was silent for two seconds, then said: “It’s just that I have a movie, heard it got blocked by Ke Ying, didn’t you say before that your connections are wide? See if you can…”
Beep beep beep.
The call on the other end suddenly hung up, and Chi Ye was stunned for a second.
On the other side, Wen Lijuan’s expression unchanged, said to the few besties around her whose eyes had just lit up: “Private matter, not convenient to say here, I’ll go outside to call Chi Ye back.”
Everyone: “…”
“Hey, Juan’er, you’re really not treating us besties as family, last time when you asked us to help you with PDD cut one knife, it wasn’t like this.”
“Yeah yeah, you said we were all your family, and just now you said we weren’t outsiders…”
“Lijuan, I love hearing this kind of stuff… you still have contact with Ke Ying? Weren’t you two on bad terms before…”
The aunts chattered, Mom Wen’s face displeased: “Go go go, Chi Ye probably has something urgent, I’ll call him back, talk later… I’ll tell you all the details later.”
After saying that, without waiting for the besties to ask more, she got up and went outside, then proactively called Chi Ye back.
“Hello?”
“Chi Ye, just now too many people, not convenient, now say, what’s up?”
Chi Ye: “……Still the same matter, Mom Wen, do you still have contact with my ‘ex-uncle’?”
“Ah… what? Signal’s bad.”
Mom Wen pretended for a bit, saw Chi Ye go silent on the other end, then reluctantly said: “Sigh… let me tell you the truth, sister… sister has a grudge with that bastard… a big grudge…”
Chi Ye: “Didn’t you say before that you have a good relationship with your ex-husband? Said anything can be handled…”
Mom Wen’s heart trembled hearing this—this was such a great show-off opportunity, and rare to show off in front of Chi Ye… was it just going to be missed?
“I… sister… sigh, how did you offend him?”
She thought for a long time, her tone a bit more serious: “That family is not to be trifled with, if you mess with them, it’ll be hard.”
Chi Ye was similarly puzzled in his heart, but not that puzzled…
Because he had a clear count of how many people he had offended.
“It should be related to the film circle, my movie wanted to slot into this year’s Spring Festival Slot, heard the Beijing Circle side also has a big production to slot… my genre is quite sensitive…”
Wen Lijuan: “…”
She hesitated for a moment, then said: “Then you… wait for sister, sister… sister will try.”
“Thanks, Mom Wen.”
Chi Ye, hearing her tone, knew Wen Lijuan must be feeling guilty inside… because with Mom Wen’s personality, even things with no basis she could boast into full certainty.
If there’s a little basis, she could exaggerate it ten times.
A situation like this where she doesn’t even boast… can only say no hope at all for this matter.
Chi Ye thought this way, so after hanging up, he called Jin Sui again—Jin Sui also invested in Influenza, though not as much as Chi Ye, but because this project was bridged by her in the middle, and later brought in Chi Ye, the real “leader”.
So, she has always been very concerned about Chi Ye’s project.
And although Jin Sui is from the Jin family home, looking at her previous career development in internal entertainment, the family really doesn’t interfere at all, so Chi Ye telling Jin Sui was purely from a partner’s perspective, informing her of the current project situation.
“What? Got blocked?”
Hong Kong, Guang Ying Shi Meng.
Jin Sui listened to Chi Ye’s words on the phone, her fine eyebrows furrowed, wanting to curse out loud, but felt she couldn’t lose face in front of this junior… could only grit her teeth: “These people are really… really shameless!”
Chi Ye: “…”
Aunt, you seem to be acting coquettish.
“I just called Mom Wen… that is Wen Lijuan, but probably not much effect.”
As Chi Ye spoke, on the other side, Jin Sui’s angry mood disappeared, and she subconsciously picked up the phone, but suddenly paused.
She thought that currently at home only Big Brother is holding it up, and Big Brother is so young, still in his rising period, can’t have any mishaps…
Just for this little entertainment industry matter, too not worth it.
As for others in the family… those in business are in business, those in the system aren’t as steady as Big Brother.
For a moment, she also hesitated, not even seriously listening to Chi Ye’s following words—should she swallow her pride and ask her own connections? But if only in her own name, would it work…
“Hello? Aunt, are you listening to me? What do you think of the solution I just mentioned?”
“Ah? What did you say? Um… I just…”
Chi Ye glanced at his phone: “Wait a sec, I have an incoming call.”
After saying that, he answered Mom Wen’s call.
“Hello? Mom Wen.”
“Eh, Chi Ye… I asked around, no issue, you go ahead with yours.”
Wen Lijuan’s voice on that end was steady, with a hard-to-hide sense of showing off, tone casual: “Just casually asked, after he knew you were the nephew I recognize, he apologized to me on the spot, goodness, his attitude was so sincere.”
Chi Ye was confused hearing this, but this time didn’t notice Mom Wen’s show-off phrasing, just surprised: “It’s settled just like that?”
“You go ahead with yours, no problem.”
Wen Lijuan exuded dominance: “If there’s still issue later, call your sister, sister will handle it for you.”
Chi Ye: “…”
He always felt it unreliable, and sure enough, not long after, the leader also called him.
The leader, usually very tough, sounded a bit tired: “I tried, Influenza Dragon Seal can still be obtained.”
Chi Ye was stunned.
The leader first gave Chi Ye the answer, then explained: “But content needs cuts.”
“I watched the finished film once… honestly, this scale, if Ke Ying didn’t speak up, it’s the pass-or-not kind, like previous projects, worst case I put my name on it, find a few units to hang as guidance, should be no big problem.”
The leader paused, continued: “But now someone noticed, that… wanting original flavor direct pass, no changes at all, not too possible.”
Chi Ye thought, as expected.
He was the first to watch Influenza’s finished film, honestly, the content scale is indeed huge, excitement level already surpassed Earth’s Train to Busan, he as screenwriter + male lead clearly knew the plot, but first watch still fully absorbed, after watching even felt a genuine “refreshing”.
—And this wasn’t even watched with theater effects.
Can imagine, if viewing in Dolby or IMAX hall, Influenza’s movie viewing effect would definitely explode.
But… the problem leader mentioned does exist, the film involves many sensitive contents… but if not for this, why did he co-produce back then?
Wasn’t it all for this day?
He frowned: “Change? Specifically how?”
“The ending you shot in advance can’t be used, ending needs change, also… bloody pictures need change, zombies also need to change a bit…”
“How to change zombies?”
Chi Ye was confused for two seconds: “This is the core of the whole film… genre is this, all P into Baby Bus?”
“……You even have emotions now.”
Leader speechless: “Do I want to change? I don’t want to either, problem is without changes now can’t get it, guaranteeing you as long as follow requirements to change, then let it on, is already treatment others beg for and can’t get, even Guoshi, shot sensitive film, not let on, he also can’t, still needs cuts.”
Chi Ye silent, then shook his head: “Ending change no problem, but large-scale cuts, this project is ruined, can’t change like that.”
“Chi Ye.”
Leader’s tone softened, a bit melancholic: “You and I have been too smooth before… actually very bad, this time I was also caught off guard… but I reflected carefully, found we indeed didn’t put others in eyes before…”
“This is a lesson, I hope you remember it with me… our road is still long, not on one or two movies, Mars Rescue and your sci-fi film, that’s the future.”
Through the phone, Chi Ye heard his “old leader”‘s sincerity.
Thinking back on his path, since leaving Yue Na, all his works got various preferential treatments, leader indeed helped him too many times, and he also “returned” leader many unobtainable “things”.
Although unwilling to admit, sometimes Chi Ye would think inside, seems in internal entertainment he fears no one, strong as Beijing Circle, strong as Xu Yingying, still deal with when needed.
Refuse Young President Wang, at Golden Eagle Festival publicly sarcasm the entire film circle, even internal entertainment…
Looking back, indeed seems extremely flamboyant, a kind of not putting anyone in eyes vibe.
But… not the point.
“I applied for Cannes Film Festival, actually been preparing before, what do you think?”
Chi Ye suddenly asked.
“Ah?”
The leader on that end stunned: “Cannes?”
He suddenly remembered something: “What you said before…”
“Right, that ending.”
Chi Ye nodded.
Influenza shot two version endings total.
First version, exactly Train to Busan original ending, at the end when Taiwan soldiers’ sniper rifle aims at the big-bellied pregnant woman, kindness triumphs over “human nature”, ultimately no shot fired.
While second ending, the chilling version.
In that ending, after nine deaths and one life, paying with husband, Chi Ye, and a series of lives, the pregnant woman finally escapes the hell train, upon seeing official army, full of hope waving her hand.
Result…
Because fearing she was infected, at the moment she was about to escape to safety, soldier shot and killed the pregnant woman.
Screen goes dark, film ends there.
This ending’s biggest difference from first is instantly elevating the whole film from a commercial movie to another level, making people chilling while feeling this is true reality, deep “human nature”.
And in fact, Influenza whole film seems to tell an extremely exciting big escape kill story, wearing classic commercial industrial movie skin, but behind details and plot, and ending, everywhere reveals human struggle, kindness, vileness.
In short, precisely because of this attribute, Chi Ye got idea for Cannes which he never thought of before.
Because Cannes is among three major film festivals, the only one friendly to commercial films, and the biggest, global film festival, not limited to internal entertainment, but whole world.
Influenza’s initial version Train to Busan was globally hot blockbuster, now even better produced Influenza appears, no reason for Chi Ye not to be tempted.
Just, he didn’t expect, before he announced this news, Influenza already encountered “difficulties” in internal entertainment.
If large-scale content cuts per requirements, this film doomed to fail, no need to say more.
But if not follow requirements, then can’t release situation.
Chi Ye thought of after Xing Ni Big Shot Girl “trilogy”, his complete promotion to “superstar” star power in Southeast Asia region.
Since internal entertainment insists on cuts, could… directly do global premiere?
Happy Dragon Boat Festival everyone
