With viewers spontaneously recommending the film, more and more feedback appeared online. Other movies were also good, but none were as moving as "A Mother's Strength." Domestic violence is a phenomenon that occurs in many families, and almost everyone knows something about it, even if they haven't witnessed it firsthand. Seeing a scene of domestic violence so closely in a movie naturally evokes a strong emotional response.
Human trafficking has always been a topic of deep abhorrence. The fact that some people swindled money from the female protagonist while she was desperately searching for her son, and even tried to take advantage of her, highlights just how ugly the humanity of some people in this society can be. Qiao Zixin's fans also noticed her successful transformation. If her previous films, for which she won Best Actress awards, only made people remember her beauty and innocence, then this film truly showcased what explosive acting skills look like!
The trending topics online change daily, but for the past few days, the top trending topics have been dominated by "A Mother's Strength" and Qiao Zixin! Then, it was discovered that the actor playing the tragic supporting male role in the film was actually the director, a complete newcomer who had never appeared before. This further boosted the attention on "A Mother's Strength." For a new director to achieve this level of quality in their debut film is simply genius! Not to mention, the newcomer's acting skills in the film are on par with Qiao Zixin's. Directors and investors alike have begun to take notice of this new film, and "A Mother's Strength" has truly stolen the spotlight during the Golden Week holiday, leaving other films powerless to resist. The box office also saw a strong comeback starting from the second day, visibly climbing steadily, widening the gap between first and second place, becoming a completely unexpected dark horse!
Ultimately, "A Mother's Strength" concluded its run with a box office of 1.8 billion yuan, surpassing a period drama film directed by a renowned director earlier this year by 400 million yuan. This achievement solidified Xu Zifan's reputation and silenced all doubts about Qiao Zixin. Aside from the 20% allocated to later film promotion and distribution, Xu Zifan retained 80% of the film's investment, reaping substantial profits. This fact garnered him considerable attention; it's said he invested his entire fortune into the film, a bold and confident act that few possess, truly admirable.
Xu Zifan settled all the wages he owed the team in one go, and even gave each of them a generous red envelope, making sure they were fully rewarded for their hard work. Then he rented a cruise ship and took the whole team out to sea to celebrate.
Qiao Zixin updated her Weibo again: [Qiao Zixin v: How fortunate I am to have the best fans in the world. Love you all forever~ [heart]]
The accompanying Weibo post was a group photo taken from the front of the cruise ship, with the ocean as the backdrop. Xu Zifan and Qiao Zixin sat at the very front, surrounded by dozens of young people. Everyone was beaming with the brightest smiles, radiating enthusiasm and passion; their energy was palpable even in the photo. Qiao Zixin was, as always, the most beautiful and eye-catching, happily taking a selfie with a selfie stick in hand. Xu Zifan, however, had one leg bent and his arm resting on his knee, seemingly just casually glancing up – a stark contrast to the others.
[Butterfly Orchid: 2333 Zifan should play a domineering CEO, he's so handsome~ Did you see the slit in his bathrobe? There are eight-pack abs underneath! Ahhhhh!]
[A laid-back girl: Zixin is my goddess! Her swimsuit is so beautiful, so incredibly beautiful! After watching this show, I'll never call her Xinbao'er again. That's so lame, it doesn't do her justice at all. Does anyone have a more sophisticated nickname for her? Anyone want to think of one?]
[Yun Duoduo: Zixin and Zifan are such a perfect match! What more could we ask for? This is it, this is it! The movie made me cry several times, but thankfully they're together in real life. I'm so happy. Ahhh, with Zifan as Zixin's manager, I'm no longer afraid she'll get taken advantage of!]
[Lanser: I heard Zifan is a fan of Zixin, and he even organized a group of fans to help Zixin turn things around. No wonder Zixin said she has the best fans in the world, they really are the best, bar none! Zifan helps Zixin both on and off screen, and he's so outstanding, he's truly a boss-level fan! I want to learn from him!]
[Su Luoruo: Life is tough, so be multi-talented. I finally understand the true meaning of this saying. These days, even chasing celebrities requires such excellence? Anyway, I'm going to study now. Zixin and Zifan, wait for me! I want to join this team too!]
[Qi Yunqing: Zixin and Zifan, get together! Gemini couples are the most compatible, you must be together!]
The cruise ship party of the cast and crew of "A Mother's Strength" trended on social media, followed by hashtags like #FanTeam# and #GeminiCouple#. People realized how much buzz this group generated; a fan-organized team is unprecedented, and they actually succeeded! Many fans from other groups were unconvinced and started showing off their degree certificates, academic certificates, and even short videos showcasing their talents. Of course, Qiao Zixin's fans were the most enthusiastic, eager to prove their versatility and join the team.
This wave of fans showing off their talents didn't cause any arguments; instead, many people were amazed that there are more and more talented people these days, and #OutstandingFans# became a new trending topic, which is particularly positive.
Xu Zifan didn't have a Weibo account, so his newly gained large following had no base of support and flocked to Qiao Zixin's Weibo, begging her to let him start one. In fact, almost all of Qiao Zixin's fans were also Xu Zifan's fans, because Xu Zifan had saved their idol and was so outstanding; it was hard for them not to be fans.
Qiao Zixin scrolled through the comments on Weibo with a smile on her face. Compared to when she was being universally criticized online, she had truly triumphed. However, she didn't care about these things anymore. She showed her phone to Xu Zifan next to her, pointing to the messages and saying, "Your fans all want you to start a Weibo account. Do you want to?"
Xu Zifan held the glass of red wine and gently swirled it. "What's the point of starting a blog?"
"You can express your feelings, promote the movie, and most importantly, give your fans..."
"A base, a place where they can express their affection for you." Qiao Zixin looked into his eyes and said softly, "I think fans are all very lovely people."
Xu Zifan, a fan, looked at her for two seconds, then smiled and said, "Okay, you open it for me."
Qiao Zixin immediately lowered her eyes, took Xu Zifan's phone, and helped him register an account. She felt that Xu Zifan's eyes had been so deep just now, like they were electrifying! At least she, the one who had feelings for him, was electrified, her heart pounding. She didn't dare let Xu Zifan see it, calmly maintaining an elegant smile, and quickly helped Xu Zifan open a Weibo account.
Xu Zifan immediately took the phone, filled in the verification code as "Qiao Zixin's agent," and then took a photo of himself and Qiao Zixin and uploaded it. [Xu Zifan: I hope everyone continues to support Zixin. Filming for our next movie will begin soon.]
[Butterfly Orchid: Wow, Zifan really opened a Weibo account! And it's a Gemini photo, so sweet! Did you guys see that? Zifan's verified account says he's Zixin's agent, not her director!]
[Yun Duoduo: Zifan, what movie is Zifan going to make next? Is Zixin still the female lead? I'm so looking forward to it!]
[Dream Doll: I can cook, make soup, drive, mop the floor, take photos, edit photos, and record short videos. Would you like to recruit me into your team? I'll work very hard!]
[Love You Forever: Are you recruiting for our team? I can do makeup, hair, and outfit coordination. Hire me! Hire me! Hire me!]
Underneath Xu Zifan's newly opened Weibo account, besides compliments on his good looks and how sweet he and Qiao Zixin are, it's all about showing off their talents and trying to get into the team. It's turned into a massive job fair, much to the amusement of passersby. This time, everyone is congratulating them on their success. They no longer need to tread carefully and monitor public opinion, because the online backlash against Qiao Zixin is now a thing of the past, and they are on the verge of a bright future.
Those who criticized them when "A Mother's Strength" first came out were proven wrong, especially the Xingchen boss's wife, who made a clear statement and was the most embarrassed. She thought Qiao Zixin was finished and discarded like trash, but Qiao Zixin made a successful comeback and reached a new level, while Lin Yan, whom she had regarded as her new cash cow, failed to meet expectations. Not only were there scandals such as being kept by a sugar daddy, marital discord, and abandoning Qiao Zixin, but the highly anticipated "Double Agent" also suffered a Waterloo, only taking in 600 million yuan at the box office. Not only was it far behind "A Mother's Strength," but it was also far behind the second-place comedy and the third-place pet film, ranking fourth. After deducting the large sums of money invested by the company in promotion, hiring famous directors and young actors, it didn't earn much at all, and it couldn't compare with Qiao Zixin's previous films.
Lin Yan's reputation as a cash cow has been questioned. Actors without box office appeal will never get good roles, and Lin Yan's first major role in a film has yielded such a poor result. The label of lacking acting skills and having no substantial body of work has been immediately attached to him. Like his wife, they are both superficial young actors and actresses with unstable foundations, far inferior to Qiao Zixin. It's simply unbearable that people like them bullied Qiao Zixin like that!
The greater the praise "A Mother's Strength" received, the stronger the ridicule Lin Yan, Liu Jie, and the boss lady of Xingchen were subjected to. After all, they were on opposite sides. Seeing Qiao Zixin's renewed glory makes one imagine the miserable state of those people being slapped in the face. It's so satisfying!
Lin Yan was so angry at home that he smashed things. Liu Jie was trying to figure out how to get back at him when she received a call from her agent, who berated her for taking it upon herself to hire online trolls and engage in underhanded tactics. Now look what happened! The more sensational the promotion of "Double Agent" and the denigration of "A Mother's Strength" was, the more embarrassing it became. The boss's wife, furious and embarrassed, immediately ordered the suspension of Liu Jie's appearances. They didn't need such a short-sighted and incompetent actress.
Liu Jie had finally managed to switch to Xingchen Entertainment, thinking that with Lin Yan protecting her, her career would be smooth sailing. But instead, she was blacklisted! She was furious. She had been so successful in dealing with Qiao Zixin, her schemes had worked multiple times, so why had everything gone wrong ever since Xu Zifan appeared? Wait, Xu Zifan never existed in her past life. If such a talented director with such amazing acting skills existed in the entertainment industry, she couldn't possibly not know him. So where did Xu Zifan come from? Was he, like her, a reincarnated person?
Liu Jie stared intently at Xu Zifan's photos online, feeling inexplicably terrified. If she wasn't the only reborn person in the world, would she still have the advantage of being reborn?