Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 1531 - 1530: Birth of a Rising Star

Immerse, focus, engage.

Thalia gazed into Li Wei’s eyes, as if gaining courage and encouragement, a desire to share surged forth, and without realizing it, her words flowed smoothly. When she spoke of joyful things, her eyebrows fluttered with excitement, and even her gestures increased.

The Barbie Doll sitting in the corner, shrouded in gray, suddenly came to life. Her bright and radiant expression between her eyebrows shone brilliantly, gentle yet resilient, jubilant yet sweet, like a gemstone that effortlessly attracted all eyes to her.

Click. Click click click click.

The sound of shutters and flashes surged sparsely, neither noisy nor overwhelming, but continuously flickering in the corner, revealing an inner surge. With emotions breaking free from the reins of reason, they couldn’t help but press the shutter, trying to capture this moment.

Some cameras aimed at Li Wei, some at Thalia.

Others attempted to capture both Li Wei and Thalia in the frame. One stood tall like a pine, the other bloomed quietly like a jasmine, placed at opposite ends of the frame, gazing at each other from afar. The collision of glances and the diffuse atmosphere unintentionally pulled out a subtle tension, making the heart’s pounding gradually and silently increase in frequency and strength.

Then, click, the shutter clicked again.

The bustling and noisy focal point of attention silently gathered, rising and falling ceaselessly in the air, as the temperature slowly climbed.

But in Thalia’s eyes, there was only that bright-eyed man. Engrossed, she continued a heartfelt conversation as if no one else was around.

"Both Sidney and I are inexperienced newcomers to acting. It’s not easy for us, so before shooting, we spent a lot of time talking and interacting, trying to explore the true fears behind the issues."

"The problem isn’t us; we haven’t done anything wrong. But at the same time, we’re not victims. We’re just facing a problem that needs resolving, so we shouldn’t target each other. We rely on each other."

"We discussed how we would react if it were us, and how we should portray the subtle changes in psychology. Those hesitations, confusions, and fears are all real. Even though we haven’t truly experienced such things, imagining it happening to us naturally breeds those emotions."

"The makeup scene was a result of Sidney and I discussing it together..."

Sidney interrupted, "Discussion indeed, but it was Thalia who made the final decision to use this detail."

"She completely immersed herself in the character, into the role. After shooting that scene, Thalia couldn’t shake off that sadness and despair, and neither could I, so I grabbed Thalia by the fingers."

"The director unexpectedly witnessed this moment, got inspired, which led to that scene in the movie, showcasing our bond in this way."

Thalia turned to look at Sidney, her lips curling up. It seemed like there was a tacit understanding between the two girls. Not only Thalia, but Sidney also relaxed a bit, chatting about the behind-the-scenes stories more freely. Now Thalia was fully in the groove, her gaze, expression, and movements were all different.

"The director allowed the two of us to discuss, rehearse, and explore ourselves because his lens aimed to penetrate beneath our skin, to feel the confusion and bewilderment of adolescence. This is the best way for the movie to convey emotional power to the audience."

"At certain moments, the line between performance and reality, between role and self, becomes slightly blurred. I hope we’ve achieved a satisfactory job." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

A sense of pride, tinged with a small delight, a small joy, and a small sense of happiness, soared like the tail end of youth, infusing a stubborn and bright youthful spirit. Thalia’s smile finally bloomed without reservation—

Dazzling and enchanting.

Click!

The shutter sounded again.

Instinct, intuition, impulse burst through the bonds in an instant.

Click click click!

In a blink, it became a continuous sound. The journalists’ professional instincts made them subconsciously press the shutter. Their frantically beating hearts seemed to be wildly pounding against it, only realizing clearly when the flashes filled the room. They weren’t the only ones in a frenzy; the other colleagues were no exception —

A rising star, indeed, is emerging.

In the brilliant and blinding lights, Thalia could only vaguely outline the silhouette of Li Wei, seemingly seeing the arc of a smile. This made her heart beat faster and faster, racing wildly above the clouds but fearing being discovered by others. She quickly shifted her gaze, awkwardly covering up her feelings.

This scene, in Li Wei’s eyes, evoked a hint of a smile. Indeed, lacking experience, she didn’t know how to handle the media.

But for Li Wei, all this seemed much simpler. No need for concealment, nothing to hide, just a slight shift in gaze sufficed.

"Director, this is clearly a special subject. I wanted to ask, when choosing two high school students and setting the film in Pennsylvania, were the characters’ ages and their environments considered specifically? If so, what’s the significance of the backdrop behind the story?"

Beautiful!

Following Thalia’s question, Li Wei dug deeper, throwing a more profound question to the director, successfully completing a logical loop—

This was more direct and effective than any explanation or performance.

Looking at the director’s expression and the expressions of other journalist colleagues made it clear, they were all deceived, each pondering in their minds:

Could it be that Li Wei truly came to the Berlin Film Festival representing the "Los Angeles Times"?

Hmm... couldn’t be... right...

Hushed murmuring, a bunch of glances directed at the "Los Angeles Times" special correspondent, trying to verify this, but they too were clueless:

Don’t ask me, how would I know? I had no idea the editor even sent other teams over, and especially not Li Wei? I don’t even know Li Wei, okay?

Wait, you’re asking me to interview Li Wei, anyway, it’s the "Los Angeles Times" team? No way, I’m refusing. The professor’s ferocity is well-known; I’m not walking into the lion’s den. If you want to court death, go ahead, but don’t push me into the abyss.

No, no, no, don’t look at me! Don’t look at me; if you keep looking, I’ll devour you!

The world spins, mesmerizing and bewildering.

A cacophony.

The entire press conference hall plunged into chaos, unable to regain clarity momentarily. After all, the press conference was still progressing, and there was a crew that needed interviewing. At this moment, there was no time or energy to figure out what was going on with Li Wei.

Perhaps, in this whirlwind vortex, only Li Wei could maintain calm and composure, even demonstrating a professional journalist demeanor.

Seeing the chaotic expressions in the press conference hall, perplexed and flustered, filled with confusion, Cliff showed a hint of gratification:

Finally, I’m not the only fool, oh yeah.