In the face of the incoming questions and doubts, Jiang Cheng simply responded with a smile, answering each one seamlessly, as if he had truly experienced all those events.
"I was one of the five hundred boys and girls taken by Xu Fu on his sea voyage to search for the elixir of immortality for Emperor Qin Shihuang. Yes, this is not a legend. However, there were no sea charts or anything like that at the time. We traveled at sea for a long time, visiting many places. I guess it was in what is now Southeast Asia. I also grew from a child into a young man during that time. Eventually, we did find the elixir of immortality! It was on the legendary Penglai, a very small island, which is no longer there today, probably sunk in a later tsunami or earthquake. There were two elixirs in total, which couldn't make someone immortal but could make them ageless. The reason might be as Old Yuan said, it can perfect the metabolism and cell regeneration. By that time, there were not many people left in our group, and those who remained mostly wanted to settle down and live in peace, without pursuing immortality or wealth. In the end, only Xu Fu and I returned to Xianyang and presented the elixir to Emperor Qin."
"How did you survive then?"
"Emperor Qin Shihuang didn't believe the elixir was real, so he had Xu Fu and me share it."
"What? So you're saying Xu Fu also survived?"
"He didn't. He died."
"Ah? Why?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but I guess in reality, there was only one real elixir, and the one Xu Fu consumed was poison, so he died, and I survived."
"So how did Emperor Qin Shihuang deal with you? He didn't kill you?"
"He wanted to initially, but he was afraid that someone might rob his tomb after his death, so he kept me locked inside his imperial tomb to guard it. However, he underestimated me. I had learned a lot from following Xu Fu, including mechanical engineering, and with that knowledge, I managed to escape from the tomb without any issues."
"What did you do after that?"
"Many things... I once took on the identity of Zhang Liang to help Liu Bang defeat Xiang Yu, and I also adopted the name Huo Qubing to fight against the Xiongnu from afar... But later, I grew tired of wars and conflicts, so I hid in the deep mountains. During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, I saved a woodcutter who had fallen from a cliff and was severely injured. When he regained consciousness, he knelt before me and called me a deity. I found it amusing, so I proclaimed myself as the Daoist Immortal of South Huashan and took him as my disciple, passing on to him a book I casually wrote. Little did I know, he used that book to gain influence, eventually leading a rebellion that caused a great disturbance. I deeply regretted it!" Jiang Cheng said with a hint of remorse.
"Hold on a minute!" Hu Ge suddenly interrupted, looking strangely intrigued. "What was that woodcutter's name? This story sounds so familiar!"
"He was named Zhang Jiao, and later, he called himself 'Great Wise Teacher.' He founded the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and their slogan was 'Heaven is dead, and the Yellow Sky will rise.' Yes, this segment is from the Three Kingdoms period, and the book was called [Taiping]"
The group exchanged astonished glances. This was just too unbelievable!
But Jiang Cheng continued, "I realized I had made a mistake and wanted to atone for it, so I re-entered society, adopting the name Hua Tuo and practicing medicine to save lives."
"What? Wasn't Hua Tuo killed by Cao Cao?" Sun Xiao asked.
"You've forgotten, I don't age, so the appearance I present to the world is achieved through makeup. Later, I bribed a jailer to let me out and left the prison while replacing myself with a death-row prisoner. I then returned to my true appearance, strolled out of the prison confidently, and left. You might have guessed it already – the book I gave him as a reward was the [Blue-green Satchel Classic.] Unfortunately, it was later burned by his wife."
The group was once again rendered speechless.
Jiang Cheng continued, "Afterward, I came to realize that I couldn't influence the rise and fall of dynasties, and these matters were not related to me. For ambitious individuals born with natural aspirations, as long as you give them a reason, they will make things happen. So, for the next thousand years or so, I stopped caring about the world's affairs, the rise and fall of dynasties, and simply indulged in the beauty of nature."
"I once discussed calligraphy with Wang Xizhi, shared drinks and talked about martial arts with Huo Qubing, and engaged in poetry with Su Dongpo..."
"In the late Yuan Dynasty, I had had enough of the Mongols oppressing the Han people! So, I re-entered the world once more, adopting the name Liu Bowen, helping Zhu Chongba establish the Ming Dynasty and secure the imperial throne! This was my final time helping establish a dynasty. Afterward, no matter what happened in the Central Plains, I stayed uninvolved."
"Why? Didn't you care when the Manchus entered China, or when the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded?"
"I couldn't be involved in everything. I'm not all-powerful. If the Han people themselves don't strive, my efforts alone won't be enough! Besides, during that time, I wasn't even in the Central Plains. I had embarked on a journey with Zheng He to explore the seas, and I roamed outside for hundreds of years. I only returned during the Republic of China era."
As Jiang Cheng continued his storytelling, the history and changes of over two thousand years slowly unfolded before the group. Jiang Cheng seemed to effortlessly recall these events, making them sound as if he had personally experienced them, with no inconsistencies in the details.
As the main character and his colleagues engaged in this Q&A, the film gradually transitioned to its conclusion. Gradually, everyone seemed to believe Jiang Cheng's words, earnestly pondering whether his stories could be true.
When the last question was asked, and everyone seemed to believe Jiang Cheng's tales, he clapped his hands with a smile and said, "Hey, the story is over. Did you all find it exciting?"
"What? These were all just stories, made up by you?" The group was once again taken aback. The camera panned across their faces, and each person had widened their eyes, apparently unable to accept this fact.
Jiang Cheng chuckled and said, "You all provided me with an idea. Every one of you did. From Teacher Huang mentioning my aged Pu'er tea, to Li Jie pointing out these imitation furniture pieces, and Old Yuan proposing the hypothesis of immortality. So, I decided to try and tell a bizarre story, to see if you could debunk me, to see your reactions. But the fact is, I may have gone too far with it. But it's just a story! And my car is here, so I'm leaving now, and you should all head home too!"
Seeing that it was already dusk, a van was parked outside the apartment building. Jiang Cheng picked up a suitcase and smiled at the group. "Does anyone want to help me move these things downstairs? Consider it a reward for this afternoon of storytelling. You know, I had to use quite a bit of brainpower to trick you all!"
The group reluctantly chuckled, realizing they had indeed been fooled. Though they felt somewhat angry, they were more impressed by Jiang Cheng's extensive knowledge. Consequently, all seven of them began to help Jiang Cheng move his belongings downstairs. Many hands made light work, and they finished moving all the boxes in no time.
"What are you going to do with all this furniture?" Sun Li suddenly asked.
"I don't need it anymore. I'll donate it to charity. These kinds of things can be found anywhere, anyway," Jiang Cheng casually replied, seemingly unconcerned, treating them like a pile of imitation pieces.
"That's a shame. Even though they're imitations, they really look authentic," Sun Li lamented.
Jiang Cheng chuckled, "If you like them, feel free to take them. I didn't tell the charity exactly how much there is, and they won't come to pick them up until tomorrow. So, take as much as you want. And all of you can do the same. If there's anything you like in this apartment, take it as a parting gift!"
Hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted. Despite being imitations, owning such convincingly real pieces was still a form of enjoyment.
Later, as they bid farewell to Jiang Cheng and he drove away, the remaining seven people returned to his apartment and began selecting items they liked.
At that moment, Sun Li suddenly exclaimed, "These are real, not imitations!"
"What?" The group was once again astonished. Sun Li pointed to a chip on the sandalwood tea table, saying, "Colors, patterns, and carvings can be faked, but the wood itself cannot. Look here, judging by the degree of wood oxidation, it couldn't be less than several hundred years old!"
"And these tea sets!" Huang Lei pointed to the purple clay teapots and cups on the table. "These are definitely ancient items. Earlier, I didn't add tea leaves, only poured hot water, and yet, a strong tea aroma emerged. As you all should know, after prolonged use, the tea polyphenols in the clay build up on the pot, which cannot be faked. But with such a rich tea aroma, it must be aged for at least a hundred years. These are real!"
...
More and more pieces of furniture were proven to be genuine, leaving everyone perplexed once again. If one or two items were fake, it could mean that Jiang Cheng had accidentally acquired a genuine antique and unknowingly used it as a fake. But with the entire room filled with genuine items, what did that imply?
The camera once again scanned the faces of the group, each person wearing an expression of confusion, disbelief, and incomprehension.
Using this shot as the movie's ending, the film concluded in a somewhat inexplicable manner, without confirming whether the protagonist's stories were true or false. If they were true, why did the protagonist insist on calling them stories at the end? But if they were false, where did all these genuine antique items come from?
This was a deliberate suspense left by Jiang Cheng. Originally, this story had no clear beginning or end, nor did it carry any profound meaning. It was like watching a talk show episode where people chatted randomly, but the difference was that a talk show had no script, while this movie did.
From the start of filming to the wrap-up, the entire process took only one day, staying within Jiang Cheng's plan.
After finishing the film, Jiang Cheng didn't have time for post-production. Although post-production didn't require much time, he had to treat the cast and crew to a meal. These people had come to help almost for free, and while it wasn't a business transaction, it was a matter of social etiquette, which required attention.
This was about interpersonal relationships, not business dealings, and it was especially important to be considerate.
So, Jiang Cheng arranged for the crew to find a moderately-sized restaurant on the street. The place looked clean, the food was good, and it happened to have enough space to accommodate the entire crew. The eight actors sat at a table and ordered a variety of dishes. They had been busy all day and were now quite hungry, so they didn't waste any time with pleasantries and started eating as soon as the food arrived.
However, Huang Lei was a jovial person and insisted on having some alcohol with the meal. Hu Ge and Sun Xiao joined in the chorus, and Jiang Cheng didn't want to refuse, so he ordered a dozen bottles of beer for each table.
"Come on, Acheng, I'll toast to you! To celebrate the successful completion of this film!" When the beer arrived, Huang Lei's cheerful nature took over, and he raised the first glass to Jiang Cheng.
"Oh, how can I accept this? Huang Lao Shi, you're a senior, so the first glass should be from me to you!" Jiang Cheng felt pleasantly surprised.
"It's only right, after all, you're the director of this film!" Huang Lei laughed heartily, and both of them downed their glasses in one go, not showing any signs of discomfort, which earned applause from the table.
Hu Ge asked curiously, "Hey, Acheng, your alcohol tolerance seems pretty good! Last time, when we were drinking with Sister K and Director Li Guoli, you didn't drink a drop. I thought you couldn't handle alcohol!"
"Oh, is that so?" Everyone became interested and started asking for details. Huang Lei, in particular, couldn't help embellishing the story, recounting the time when Jiang Cheng was forced to express sincerity by downing a bottle of fruit juice.
Jiang Cheng explained, "It's not that I can't drink, but too much alcohol can lead to problems, so I rarely drink. If I can avoid it, I will."
"That's a wise perspective," Sun Li agreed. "A lot of people, like Ah Lei here, act like they're drinking for their lives and end up suffering in the end."
Satisfied with their meal, everyone continued chatting. Han Xue suddenly asked, "Acheng, how did you acquire so many talents? You can direct, act, write, script, compose, sing, and even do makeup! You truly are a multi-talented individual!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was curious and had been wondering for a long time. Jiang Cheng smiled and replied, "I've loved reading since I was a child, and I especially enjoyed reading various types of books. So, I have a little knowledge about many things. After junior high, I became obsessed with movies and watched them like crazy. At that time, I even managed a small cinema. I bought many books related to filmmaking, such as 'The Theory of Long Takes' and 'An Actor's Self-cultivation.' After buying them, I read, thought, and learned while watching. Over time, I accumulated a lot of experience. However, it's mostly theoretical knowledge, and I've had very little practical experience. This is my first time making a film, and I hope you won't say that I'm all talk and no action."
Hearing this, everyone was filled with admiration. It seemed that geniuses were born from a combination of innate talent and relentless effort. They realized that without years of consistent reading, thinking, and learning, Jiang Cheng wouldn't have achieved what he had today. While they were initially envious of Jiang Cheng's extraordinary talent, they now understood that his abilities were the result of hard work. If they wanted to surpass Jiang Cheng, they would need to put in even more effort.
They continued chatting for a while longer, and Sun Li suddenly asked, "By the way, Acheng, when do you plan to release this film?"
Jiang Cheng thought for a moment and replied, "The post-production of this film won't take too long. If conditions allow, it should be ready for release in January of next year."
Hu Ge also inquired, "Have you arranged a distribution channel for the film?"
Jiang Cheng nodded and said, "My studio already has its own distribution system. However, I would like to release this first film in collaboration with Sister Cai to express my gratitude for her guidance."
Everyone praised Jiang Cheng for his gratitude.
Huang Lei asked again, "So, Acheng, what are your expectations for the box office performance of this film after its release?"
Once again, everyone turned their attention to Jiang Cheng. They had witnessed the quality of the film, but it had a small budget and lacked the star power of big-name actors. The box office prospects were uncertain, and each of them was curious to hear Jiang Cheng's expectations for the film.
Jiang Cheng took a sip of his beer, and with a mysterious smile, he said, "I believe the box office performance of this film will astonish everyone!"