In the second half of the year, “The Battle at the Peak” was simultaneously released domestically and internationally.
If “The Enchanting Cat Tale” brought box office success to Zhou Chenxi, then “The Battle at the Peak” meant a double harvest of public acclaim and box office success for him.
James Brown, being a foreigner, wasn’t discussed much in China, and there was no fault to be found in Li Peini’s performance, making her unquestionably the leading actress. Only Zhou Chenxi, who had recently won the Star and Moon Award for Best Actor, garnered more discussions.
To be honest, the influence of the Star and Moon Awards in China was not as significant as the Golden Flower Awards, despite the former’s higher prestige. In the eyes of industry veterans, the Star and Moon Awards were considered a tier below the Golden Flower Awards.
If you weren’t the Golden Flower Best Actor, it meant you hadn’t climbed another level, unless you could present a satisfactory answer to everyone.
Fortunately, this answer was timely submitted by Director Cabot.
This “Battle at the Peak” was entirely different from the one in Lu Xinghe’s novel. After Cabot trimmed Li Yunzhou’s role, Li Jiaozi became the core of this father-son duo.
Director Cabot had mentioned that, from a dramatic perspective, Li Jiaozi had more potential to be explored than Li Yunzhou. Li Jiaozi had a tragic background, lacked a strong sense of morality, unlike Li Yunzhou, who was a police officer, representing the pure side of justice.
Li Jiaozi was one of the vast majority in this world who survived in the cracks. He never dreamed of becoming someone important or making a name for himself; he just wanted to live, eat a decent meal, and, in the process, repay everyone who lent him a helping hand during difficult times.
This might have been the beginning of tragedy in Li Jiaozi’s life.
Li Gui was the first person who could be considered a benefactor to Li Jiaozi. Unlike Li Yunzhou, who could be regarded as an adoptive father, Li Gui was merely someone who occasionally provided relief to stray youths in the poor district when he had extra time and money.
Later, when Li Jiaozi started investigating the cause of Li Gui’s death, he discovered that Li Gui was not the person he had thought; he was an international drug trafficker.
AdvertisementIt turns out the money Li Gui used to help those young people was earned from drug trafficking. Despite the heinous activities of these drug traffickers, harming countless people and breaking up numerous families, Li Gui used the money to support a group of stray youths in the impoverished district who would have otherwise starved.
This led to an argument between Li Jiaozi and Li Yunzhou.
Li Yunzhou criticized him, saying, “Li Gui is not a good person; he’s a drug trafficker.”
However, Li Jiaozi stubbornly insisted, “In my eyes, he is a good person.”
“He killed people,” Li Yunzhou emphasized.
Li Jiaozi responded, “Who he killed has nothing to do with me. He saved my life!”
In a world where lives are as insignificant as grass, who can claim to be nobler than others?
Later, Li Jiaozi discovered that among the people Li Gui’s criminal gang had killed was Li Yunzhou’s almost-wedded fiancée.
AdvertisementNo wonder Li Yunzhou harbored such strong resentment towards Li Gui.
However, it didn’t matter; Li Gui was already dead. Li Jiaozi shared the same ultimate goal with Li Yunzhou – Li Jiaozi wanted to help Li Yunzhou find the leader of the criminal gang and seek revenge for Li Gui.
Li Jiaozi infiltrated the local criminal organization on his own, engaging with them, while Li Yunzhou, worried about his safety, found him several times, advising him not to go astray and to avoid trouble.
Li Jiaozi, nonchalantly, said, “I want to avenge Li Gui. Don’t you want to avenge your girlfriend?”
After some subsequent events, Li Jiaozi and Li Yunzhou ended up on the same path.
Different from “The Enchanting Cat Tale,” “The Battle at the Peak” lacked the beautiful scenes of the Great Geng Dynasty and sophisticated special effects. However, its narrative was exceptionally strong, with the storyline switching between the main and supporting characters, creating tension and excitement throughout, without any dull moments, offering the audience an excellent sensory experience.
Previously, “The Enchanting Cat Tale” was released during the Spring Festival, serving as a family-friendly film. This time, to avoid competition with other films, “The Battle at the Peak” quietly premiered on a workday. As expected, the reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
Many people were unaware that “The Battle at the Peak” had already been released. It wasn’t until numerous recommendations flooded various channels that their curiosity was piqued, prompting them to take time off and go to the cinema to watch the movie.
Film critics praised Zhou Chenxi. Last time, “The Enchanting Cat Tale” was considered a breakthrough for Director Luo, while this time, “The Battle at the Peak” was Zhou Chenxi’s breakthrough.
They mentioned that everyone talked about how much time actors spent losing weight, finding it incredible. However, film critics saw it as the most basic professional ethic for actors.
AdvertisementWhat’s so extraordinary about losing weight? Actors have professional teams; they are guided on how to gain or lose weight. If an actor doesn’t slim down when required in front of the camera or gets fat when they shouldn’t, that would be a professional failure.
Being able to portray Li Jiaozi convincingly was the biggest surprise Zhou Chenxi brought to the audience.
Previously, many film critics had dismissed Zhou Chenxi, even holding a stereotypical view that he was a young actor relying on his looks. However, after watching this movie, quite a few people changed their perception of Zhou Chenxi. They even shed tears when Li Jiaozi died.
Most film critics have a tough heart since they watch countless films, and shedding tears during a movie is considered quite rare.
Zhou Chenxi had just finished filming a TV series recently and had some free time, so he made plans with Lu Ji to watch a movie together.
Unlike the previous time, the movie had just been released, yet the theater was fully packed. They chose the last row of seats. Zhou Chenxi was fully equipped with snacks, and Lu Ji, being a domineering CEO, had no interest in snacks.
Undeterred, Zhou Chenxi hinted to him, “Lu Ji, do you want popcorn?”
“I don’t eat snacks.” As a domineering CEO, Lu Ji had no interest in snacks.
Zhou Chenxi, not discouraged, asked him again, “How about cola?”
Lu Ji seemed to understand and immediately stood up, went outside, and brought back a large bucket of popcorn and two large cups of cola.
Zhou Chenxi chuckled and gestured for Lu Ji to sit down, contentedly holding cola and popcorn while watching the movie.
Movie and popcorn meant double happiness, and adding cola made it triple. However, the content of the movie didn’t allow Zhou Chenxi to be too happy.
Perhaps because of the fluctuations in weight during the filming, Zhou Chenxi looked a bit different from his current appearance. He forgot that the person on the screen was himself and, together with Lu Ji, earnestly watched the movie.
The beginning focused on the protagonist, and Li Jiaozi appeared after about ten minutes. He was thin to the point of just bones, and the makeup made Zhou Chenxi look significantly smaller. His delicate face was covered in mud and dust, portraying a youth who couldn’t even get enough to eat.
After eating a piece of popcorn, Zhou Chenxi heard a girl next to him whisper, “It’s Zhou Chenxi!”
Her boyfriend next to her said, “Just recognized him now. Isn’t he your husband?”
Zhou Chenxi nudged Lu Ji’s arm, signaling him to listen.
Lu Ji gave him a helpless look.
“It’s not him; I’m a fan of Mama. Xixi looks so miserable; I almost didn’t recognize him.”
Zhou Chenxi indeed looked somewhat unrecognizable on the screen. Engaging in a brawl with a group of young men, they fought over food discarded by a restaurant. They were battered and bloodied, and Li Jiaozi, not fond of forming cliques, was particularly ostracized. However, it was precisely because of this that he excelled in fighting from a young age.
Later, Li Yunzhou appeared.
The two ate dumplings in a dumpling shop. Li Yunzhou asked him, “What’s your name?”
Li Jiaozi replied, “Dumpling.”
Thinking he wasn’t eating enough, Li Yunzhou ordered another plate of dumplings for him and asked again, “What’s your name?”
Li Jiaozi replied, “Dumpling.”
Only then did Li Yunzhou realize he had been tricked. He raised his chopsticks to hit him, and Li Jiaozi quickly raised his hand, blocking him slightly.
A burst of laughter echoed in the cinema. It was one of the few heartwarming moments.
As the story unfolded, the scenes shifted to the capital. Li Jiaozi joined a criminal organization in Gang City, while Li Yunzhou and the protagonist Jaspo argued in the capital about how to combat transnational criminal syndicates. Everything was setting the stage for the final battle in Country A.
Zhou Chenxi took another bite of popcorn and asked Lu Ji in a very low voice, “Do you know the ending of this movie?”
Lu Ji also replied in a very low voice, “I don’t know.” He hadn’t seen it, so how would he know?
They spoke quietly without disturbing anyone. Zhou Chenxi thought to himself, since Lu Ji hadn’t seen it, would he cry later?
Lu Ji was a domineering CEO; he definitely wouldn’t cry.
Zhou Chenxi was confident.
But then he thought again: those old-fashioned film critics had cried. Would Lu Ji not crying make him seem indifferent?
No matter, he liked the cool Lu Ji.
Zhou Chenxi comforted himself, not to be moved by fictional characters. Even if he saw himself die in the movie, he would just say indifferently, “What’s there to cry about?”
The more Zhou Chenxi thought about it, the cooler he felt. Unable to resist, he fed Lu Ji a piece of popcorn.
Suddenly, Lu Ji, who was fed, asked, “?”
Zhou Chenxi’s hand smelled fragrant, with a buttery aroma from the popcorn. Lu Ji bit his fingers along with the popcorn.
Zhou Chenxi: “!!”
He dared not speak, pulled his hand back, rubbed it, thinking, Lu Ji was so naughty, how could he secretly bite him!
He thought about feeding him another one later.
Zhou Chenxi continued to watch the movie, feeling blissful.
Li Jiaozi got involved in a gunfight with Jaspo and the criminal group, entangling with the members of the criminal organization. Jaspo didn’t even know he was nearby.
Li Jiaozi swept the legs of a criminal who tried to kill him, pressed him down with his elbow, and asked, “Speak! Where did you hide the things?”
The criminal stammered, “In, in the warehouse at Jianhai Port.”
The girl in front sighed softly, “So handsome!”
Li Jiaozi kicked her lightly, turned sideways, and leaped over a row of containers, running towards the direction of Jianhai Port as mentioned by the criminal.
Too late.
The leader of the criminals intended to destroy the evidence and escape from the harbor. Once they fled Country A, in the vast world, they would be beyond reach.
Li Jiaozi not only sought revenge for Li Gui but also wanted to avenge Li Yunzhou, who had already sacrificed, and the fiancée of Li Yunzhou, whom Li Jiaozi had never met.
On the way, Li Jiaozi remembered what Li Yunzhou had told him, “In this life, one must do something that satisfies oneself and have a clear conscience.”
Li Jiaozi thought, “Li Yunzhou, have I ever let anyone down in this life?”
At the A country’s harbor, he encountered the leader of the criminals, and a fierce fight ensued during the pursuit. Unfortunately, he was shot and killed by one of the leader’s henchmen.
He bought enough time for Jaspo to capture the criminal leader, preventing his escape. A classic Hollywood-style climax unfolded.
However, as the scene shifted, the floating body of Li Jiaozi on the sea was never discovered.
The background sound played a conversation between Li Jiaozi and Li Yunzhou.
Li Yunzhou asked, “What do you want to do when you grow up?”
Li Jiaozi replied, “Sell dumplings.”
Li Yunzhou patted him, “I’m serious.”
Li Jiaozi fell silent for a long time before finally saying, “Be a police officer.”
The screen went black, and the ending credits began.
No post-credits scenes; it had concluded.
The girl who claimed to be a fan of Zhou Chenxi cried in a choked voice, “Xixi is so pitiful. Why did he have to end up like this? I thought he didn’t die.”
Her boyfriend comforted her, “It’s all acting. Xixi is still here. You can see him at that snack shop when we leave. Let’s go.”
The girl pouted, “You’re so heartless!”
Zhou Chenxi, having read the script, was fine, but most of the leaving audience members were wiping tears.
He and Lu Ji couldn’t leave yet, fearing they might be noticed. Zhou Chenxi sat in his seat, turned his head, and glanced quietly at Lu Ji.
Lu Ji actually wiped away a tear secretly.
Zhou Chenxi was stunned.
Realizing that he was being observed, Lu Ji smiled embarrassedly and said, “The empathy was too strong. I couldn’t help but imagine Li Jiaozi as you.”
So, he wasn’t crying for Li Jiaozi.
Zhou Chenxi didn’t know what Lu Ji was thinking, perhaps he was reminded of the past Zhou Chenxi.
Feeling emotional, Zhou Chenxi couldn’t wait for everyone to leave. He impulsively rushed over, hugged Lu Ji, and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll be with you for a very, very long time.”
“Okay.” Lu Ji turned his head and kissed Zhou Chenxi on the cheek.
After everyone left, with no one around, Zhou Chenxi and Lu Ji shared a quiet kiss.
After a while, a coughing sound suddenly came from nearby—it was the cleaning lady. Holding a broom, she energetically reminded them, “No kissing, the movie is already over!”
Feeling embarrassed, Zhou Chenxi’s face turned red. He discreetly pulled up his mask.
Then, pretending like nothing happened, he and Lu Ji, holding hands, walked out of the movie theater.
The author has something to say: Thanks to “席藍” and “天瀲” for the surprise!
Thanks to “子默” for the nutrients!
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ️”
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