But reality was cruel, and she was no genius director; the film's release indeed did not go well.
She wanted to convey too much, and it ended up making the film seem cluttered. Netizens harshly criticized her for not distinguishing primary from secondary elements and for the inconsistent style, saying it was like trying to stitch together rags from different eras. The beginning was stifling, and the ending was deliberately melodramatic, which came off as pretentious.
Even with an Emperor of Film like Shen Jinghe, top-tier actresses like Jiang Wanwan, and popular idols like Wang Che, including her own dedicated performance, they couldn't save "The Silent Secret."
Though their fans passionately bought tickets, and Su Yang along with Shen Jingxiu also pitched in, the initial hype eventually faded, and the box office numbers did not improve.
Although there were some positive reviews, after the film Wenyan received more criticism and attacks than anything else.
