Benshan’s beloved disciple, starting from the 2009 Spring Festival Gala
Chapter 18 - The Premiere

Chapter 18  The Premiere

During the May Day holiday, aside from the release of Qu Yiming’s movie, another major event for Benshan Media was the grand opening of the Liu Laogen Grand Stage in Beijing.

While Qu Yiming was on a roadshow in another city, Uncle Benshan and his many disciples were busy rehearsing the opening ceremony program at the Liu Laogen Grand Stage.

The opening ceremony was scheduled for May 2nd — two days after the world premiere of Lost on Journey and one day after its nationwide release.

The celebration was planned on a grand scale. Aside from a number of unnamed important figures attending the performance, Uncle Benshan told Qu Yiming that megastars like Cheng Long (Jackie Chan), Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, and Ge You would all show up for the opening, making it a true showbiz extravaganza.

In comparison, the premiere of Lost on Journey seemed more like an appetizer.

April 30th, 7:00 a.m., backstage at Haidian Cinema, Beijing

Qu Yiming sat in front of the makeup mirror, letting the stylist work on him while listening to staff run through the final event schedule.

“At 8:00 a.m. sharp, invited guests arrive and walk the red carpet outside the cinema — they’ll sign in, give media interviews, and interact with fans…”

“At 9:00 a.m., the audience begins entering the cinema.”

“At around 9:20 a.m., host Xiao Shen Yang will kick off the opening ceremony.”

“At around 9:30 a.m., you and Daolang will perform The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, followed by you and the film’s creators greeting the audience and sharing behind-the-scenes stories.”

“At 10:00 a.m., the screening begins.”

“Afterward, there will be a Q&A with the audience and interviews with selected media — the reporters have already been vetted…”

“Lastly, a group photo of the cast, crew, and guests.”

Thanked to Uncle Benshan’s support, the guest list for the premiere of Lost on Journey wasn’t far off from that of the grand stage’s opening. Major stars like Jackie Chan, Zhang Yimou, and Zhang Ziyi were expected to attend.

Jackie Chan was eager to collaborate with Uncle Benshan. Zhang Yimou had an upcoming project, A Simple Noodle Story, co-produced with the Zhao family troupe, set to start filming in July.

With such high-profile guests, a flood of B-list stars came hoping to crash the red carpet, and plenty of media swarmed in for coverage — though most wouldn’t get into the actual screening.

“Well? How do I look?”

Zhang Tian’ai, freshly made up, approached Qu Yiming for compliments. He gave her a once-over, carefully scanning from head to toe. She wore a custom champagne-colored gown, the skirt as light as clouds, layers of tulle cascading like moonlight.

The bodice was fitted, showing off her youthful, energetic figure. The thin straps revealed her smooth shoulders and delicate collarbones, while sparkling crystals at her waist accentuated her slender frame.

The skirt flared from mid-thigh, swaying like flower petals as she walked — girlish yet graceful.

“Not bad,” Qu Yiming nodded.

“Hehe~”

Zhang Tian’ai beamed, eyes bright, looking for all the world like a delighted puppy receiving praise. Compared to her dazzling presence, Xin Zhilei and Xiao Songjia were both literally and figuratively overshadowed.

Xin Zhilei wore a simple black spaghetti strap dress and low heels — still confident, but her looks weren’t on par with Zhang Tian’ai. Xiao Songjia, styled by her agency, wore a striking red gown. Eye-catching, but her figure and looks couldn’t quite compete.

8:00 a.m., outside on the red carpet

Stars entered the cinema one by one in an order determined by their celebrity status. None of the female stars present could rival Zhang Tian’ai’s beauty — not even Zhang Ziyi. She stole the spotlight, drawing heavy media attention. She clearly loved every moment of it.

“I approach cautiously, afraid to wake you from your dreams. I just want to kiss you gently, don’t worry…”

After guests, audience, and media were all seated, Qu Yiming and Daolang performed The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. Qu Yiming had previously mimicked Daolang’s singing on the Spring Festival Gala — this time was their first live collaboration, making for a juicy media headline.

Host Xiao Shen Yang: “Mr. Daolang, how would you rate Director Qu’s singing?”

Daolang: “I wouldn’t go so far as to rate it, but I really admire Director Qu. I’m grateful he sang my song on the Spring Festival Gala — helped boost my popularity.”

He was clearly joking. Daolang was already a top-tier pop star, Qu Yiming’s Spring Gala performance was merely the cherry on top.

Qu Yiming: “Not at all, not at all. I was the one riding Daolang’s coattails! I hope we get more chances to work together.”

Xiao Shen Yang: “Now let’s welcome Uncle Benshan to share a few words about the film.”

Uncle Benshan: “This is my apprentice Qu Yiming’s first film. Of course, I hope it’s well-received. But good or bad — I’ll leave that to our guests and audience to decide. Enough talk — let’s watch the movie.”

10:00 a.m., the premiere begins

Lost on Journey is a pure commercial comedy. It carries some depth, but mainly aims to make people laugh.

“You look older than my dad and you’re calling me brother?”

“Of course! I look about 28 or 29, but I’m only 20. Look, my ID says so.”

Coming from the mature-looking Song Xiaobao, with a zoomed-in shot of the ID card, this line had the more giggly members of the audience roaring with laughter.

This was the first meeting of Li Chenggong and Niu Geng — the duo that would soon take viewers on a nonstop ride of hilarity. Then came the hotel scene.

Originally, Qu Yiming had planned for Uncle Benshan to play the village chief. But after some discussion, Benshan ended up playing the motel owner.

In this segment, Li Chenggong has lost his wallet, and Niu Geng has been scammed — they’re both broke and can only afford one standard room. Benshan, as the innkeeper, looks over the dashing Li Chenggong and the short, frumpy Niu Geng.

“One room?”

“You two… sharing one room?”

This alone had people laughing.

Some audience members had heard gossip about Qu Yiming being transgender.

“Damn… one bed!”

When they opened the door to find a single bed, Li Chenggong was stunned.

“Hahahahaha…”

Just imagining a handsome executive and a poor milkman squeezing into one bed — the crowd erupted. But the best was yet to come. This motel scene turned out to be the film’s comedic high point — ten-plus minutes of nonstop laughs.

The laughter of over a thousand audience members swelled in waves, making the floor tremble. Poor Brother Yiming. While feeling sorry for him, Meng Ziyi was laughing so hard she almost passed out…