The Best Director

Magical Yang’s trip to China proved to be a windfall for CCTV6, which as a monopoly isn’t worried about competition but nobody hates high ratings and profits. The “Magical Director”, “The world’s youngest billionaire,” Wang Yang, was about to record a special interview show with the immensely popular Daniel Wu and even brought one of the mainland’s most popular actresses, Zhao Wei. CCTV6 felt like they had hit the jackpot from the sky.

Expectations for this special program were sky-high. An average hot movie broadcast garners a 2-3% viewership rating; this 1.5-hour show was categorized as a variety talk interview but marketed and positioned like a blockbuster movie, even more eye-catching than a movie itself. This was its premiere! After days of promotion, fans couldn’t wait, and finally, the program aired on the evening of August 20th at 8:30 PM.

Countless viewers stayed in front of their TVs, watching the 1.5-hour show with bursts of laughter. Female viewers found their eyes and hearts filled with hearts, almost wishing to howl at the sky, “So handsome, so talented, so rich, and so young! So awesome—!”

The viewership results did not disappoint CCTV6 at all, with an average rating of 3.2% and a market share of 8.7%, setting a new record for viewership of a mainland Chinese entertainment variety talk show!

Although there is no authoritative ranking or statistics in this field, a comparison makes things clear. The mainland’s supposed most popular variety show ‘Happy Camp’ only boasts a maximum single-episode viewership of 1.5%. CCTV’s flagship program ‘Artistic Life’ averages 1-2% per episode, with the highest this year being June’s “Chen Kun” episode at 2%. Compared to this, ‘The Wang Yang Show’ achieved 3.2%, with 35.68 million people tuning in, creating a viewership miracle.

Besides benefiting from the summer holidays and Magical Yang’s extreme popularity, the success was also due to proper promotion, especially with fans actively spreading the word on the internet, attracting almost all viewers who love Magical Yang and talk shows. The high quality of the show, with its fresh, relaxed, and humorous talk show energy, kept viewers hooked till the very end, with hardly anyone leaving halfway.

On the other hand, Phoenix Satellite Television broadcast two episodes of ‘Qian Qian San Ren Xing: Why Enter the Cinema’ on the 18th and 19th. Phoenix TV didn’t release specific viewership data, but Dou Wentao said in a telephone interview with reporters, “I heard it’s very high, record-breaking.”

How high the new viewership was is unclear, but the online reaction certainly broke records. On forums like Tianya, these two episodes of ‘Qian Qian San Ren Xing’ were praised by many netizens as “the highest level ever,” featuring topics and collisions between the three hosts’ cultural differences that were professional, emotional, and humorous. The discussions were engaging and comprehensive.

In the discussion threads on Tianya, user ‘Looking forward to summer’ said, “It’s so interesting to see Wang Yang and Liang Wendao together!” Dancing Pig commented, “Magical Yang is witty with anyone; these two episodes are endlessly rewatchable!” SGIS said, “It’s just a pity not every episode has this pairing.” …

After the broadcasts of ‘Qian Qian San Ren Xing’ and ‘The Wang Yang Show’, Magical Yang’s classic quotes from “YOUNG said” have seen a significant increase, and they weren’t translations from English but direct Chinese statements, which were greatly enjoyed by his fans. As we know, whether on English-language or Chinese-language internet, many interesting internet buzzwords originate from his mouth or his movies.

“I died laughing! I didn’t expect Wang Yang to be so naturally funny in Chinese. Why is it especially hilarious when he speaks Chinese?” It seems that many fans, like user “Six Hundred Bucks,” only truly appreciated his Western title as “the most humorous Best Director” after watching ‘The Wang Yang Show.’ Another user, “Blue Clear Cat,” said, “I still prefer to watch Magical Yang’s English shows. He’s more uninhibited there, super hilarious! He tends to be a bit polite and restrained in Chinese shows.”

“Polite? That show is just one word, trash!” TR Bear from the “Yang Hater” camp replied to the thread, and as with other Yang haters, was ambushed by fans and general netizens: “Get out of this thread!!”, “Support Magical Yang!”, and the many copies of “So smitten with him! Too handsome!”…

On the internet these days, fans of F4 might be ridiculed. What else do those four guys have besides good looks, and Zhu Xiaotian and Vanness Wu don’t even have that; but being a fan of the amazing Wang Yang, taking him as an idol, hardly anyone would weirdly laugh with a “hahaha.” His accomplishments as a director and businessman have been deemed “miraculous” by the entire planet, so who would have the nerve to mock?

Therefore, even many of Wang Yang’s movie fans, especially those who are fans, seem to unconsciously possess a sense of “superiority,” “my idol beats all of yours combined,” “is that all? Wang Yang would sneer at that.” This attitude also led to a lot of irritation, consequently making people dislike Wang Yang.

But an idol director is still an idol director. At 23, his charm has increased many-fold. With the airing of “The Wang Yang Show” and the release of “Las Vegas,” a new wave of Wang Yang fever swept the Chinese-speaking internet. A multitude of new fans began downloading his old movies, digging up his old photos, and researching his past achievements. In 1998, he was young and green, shocking the world with “Paranormal Activity;” In 1999, he was youthfully invincible, creating miracles again with “High School Musical”…

The number of movie fans, especially female fans, was skyrocketing every day. The traffic to Wang Yang’s official website and blog also increased significantly. A user named Lanran voiced what many female fans were thinking: “Where can you find such a great guy? If not him, who else to obsess over?” But! Just! This huge idol already had a girlfriend, and he hadn’t tried to hide it at all. Since 1999, he’s been with Jessica Alba, the female lead from “High School Musical.”

For the female fans of Wang Yang, Jessica was both the object of their blessings and envy as well as the public enemy. Having held onto Wang Yang for so many years, what’s so great about being America’s sweetheart; however, for Jessica’s male fans, Wang Yang was the real public enemy. Jessica had mentioned half-jokingly, half-seriously, “My current agent is a Best Director,” so come on, let her do more photo shoots!

Regardless of whether they were male or female fans, everyone could only accept this reality. But just when everything seemed calm, suddenly a nuclear bomb was dropped into the ocean.

“Wang Yang’s proposal was successful!” “Jessica’s left ring finger sports a diamond ring!” “Wang & Jessica’s big wedding coming soon!?” As all kinds of media rushed to report, all the fans were surprised and agitated. 23-year-old Wang Yang, 22-year-old Jessica getting married!? At 42, not even knowing if Andy Lau has a girlfriend, and Wang Yang is already getting married, what’s going on?

Not only the Chinese media and general public were shocked, but the American entertainment gossip media that first reported the news also stirred up a commotion. American fans were also taken aback and had mixed reactions.

The news originated from paparazzi who captured photos of Wang Yang vacationing on Paradise Island, Bahamas, with Jessica wearing a shiny diamond ring on her left ring finger, which could only mean one thing—Wang Yang had proposed, and Jessica had accepted. And just one day after the news broke, while the media frantically speculated about its authenticity, Wang Yang updated a brief blog post: “Jessica has accepted my proposal! This is truly the most wonderful and important moment in life!”

“Happiness, happiness, happiness! He’s so romantic, I’m so happy I can’t even speak!” Jessica’s blog also had an update that read: “Just like he said, this is the most beautiful and important moment in life! I’m full of hope for the future; this is just so great!”

Their words confirmed the news and, at the same time, detonated the nuclear bomb, causing massive waves to stir.

Another couple about to walk down the aisle? It wasn’t unheard of for a couple to marry so young, it wasn’t even strange. But as two popular new-generation celebrities, particularly with Wang Yang being an unprecedented monster in the directorial scene, the media and the public, who had a keen interest in romantic gossip, naturally turned their attention to them. But what were they to think? It seemed like they could label it “a marriage for the sake of divorce,” a union between an Asian and a Latino minority, a Buddhist and a Catholic family.

As for Wang Yang, Buddhism was his public religious belief. In this country, decades ago, atheists in the public eye were seen as dangerous criminals, almost intolerable; it’s not that exaggerated now, but to break through the bamboo ceiling over Asians’ heads, it’s still better to be a “heretic” than an atheist. It’s sometimes an unavoidable part of being a public figure and chairman of a company.

The media didn’t know he was a pantheist. Catholic & Buddhist seemed slightly better than Catholic & Jewish, but how much better could it be? And yet, could this be turned into “a marriage for the sake of divorce”? Maybe after 10 or 20 years of divorce it wouldn’t matter, only after about 3 years could that be said, really.

“`

Initially, many people predicted they would break up within a year, but now, four years later, they’ve sweetly and smoothly arrived at the point of discussing marriage.

During this period, aside from the few baseless rumors surrounding Wang Yang, Jessica, who was his first love, remained scandal-free. The two never had any fights or separations, only sweetness that made others feel nauseous with their public displays of affection, attending events and ceremonies hand in hand, and blog articles narrating their daily lives filled with happiness.

How could one not be optimistic about this soon-to-be marriage? Gossip media, however, still managed to find a focus. The latest issue of “InTouch” magazine had this to say, “Yang and Jessica’s premature marriage will eventually hurt them. After all, they are only young, and marriage will further squeeze their personal space, and the contradictions that have long existed will come to a head, shattering their fairy-tale love.”

“Guess how long it will take Yang and Jessica to have their wedding?” “OK!” magazine targeted this topic, featuring a street photo from the Bahamas and writing, “A successful proposal doesn’t necessarily mean marriage. Prenuptial agreements, wedding forms, post-marital life, children’s religious affiliations, etc., will all hinder their wedding ceremony. Perhaps it will come in a million years.”

Regardless of whether that day comes or when it comes, excluding fans like Bonnie who said, “Bless them! We’ve witnessed a beautiful love story,” and Lana who remarked, “It’s very rare, they chose each other!” a large portion of the public felt sentimental. The leads of the “High School Musical” series were both getting married! Girls were cursing when Tom Welling got married last year; now Wang Yang and Jessica are heading down the aisle.

“Why get married so young!! Wang Yang is too much, you can’t do this!!” Madeline Q yelled, unclear whose fan she was; Payne I made it obvious with a shout, “If Wang Yang wrongs Jessica, I will kill him!!” Dalton’s comment was racially charged, “I think they’ll have kids soon; people of Chinese and Mexican descent are fertile.” Daly replied to the post, “It’s shameful to joke about family values and liking kids, don’t white people have children?” Katie wrote, “I’d rather believe they’ll get formally married many years from now.” …

“Mom, we’re planning to get engaged in late September, haha!”

As dusk enveloped Paradise Island in the Bahamas, the beach was quiet, marked only by the gentle sounds of waves lapping the sand, the night breeze rustling palm leaves, and the sheer curtains of the high-end suite at the Atlantis Hotel. In the elegant bedroom, the couple wore loose black and white checkered pajamas, half-reclining on the soft bed, propped up by pillows. Wang Yang had his left arm around Jessica’s body and his right hand held the phone’s handset, laughing as he said, “Let’s keep the engagement party small, just inviting family and close friends.”

Jessica leaned on his shoulder, her pretty face beaming with happiness. From the moment she put on the engagement ring, her smile had never stopped. She lifted her left hand, looking at the ring on her ring finger, feeling a wave of happiness that felt like it could melt her heart, and the memories of the proposal came flooding back—how romantic it was! The mysterious treasure chest at the bottom of the sea and those dolphins that came to give their blessings…

Just thinking about it filled her with sweetness! She knew that these deeply cherished memories would accompany her as she aged, until wrinkles covered her face and her hair turned white, until death, and they would never be forgotten or replaced.

“And then we’ve discussed it, and we’ll have the wedding next January,” Wang Yang said, softly caressing her shoulder and arm while continuing to talk about their agreed plans. They had intended to quietly spend the holiday before announcing the news to everyone, but when paparazzi leaked it ahead of time, they had to announce it early. Then they received many blessings from friends who heard the news.

Of course, family was most important. Joshua offered congratulations but suggested doing away with the bachelor party in Las Vegas in the future; Mark Alba and Cathy Alba naturally had no objections, feeling happy and reassured that their daughter had found her own happiness. Cathy even joked, “What’s this HCG value?” while Mark said, “I’m not surprised at all, you should have gotten married four years ago.”

“I still can’t quite process it, you’re getting married next January, and I might be a grandmother the year after?” Wang Yang’s mother exclaimed in astonishment. Wang Yang immediately laughed, and so did Jessica, who could also hear the conversation. He looked at her and said into the handset, “Maybe, we both love kids that much.” Wang Yang’s mother was very happy too, laughing as she said, “Yang, Jessica, I have to say, I’m only in my forties. You getting married so quickly is great, it’s great!”

“`

Wang Yang swung Jessica back and forth, his laughter brimming with child-like pride, “Mom, get ready to be a grandmother! But don’t you dare steal the chance to take care of the baby, that’s mine! Ha ha!” he said in a lowered voice, “Actually, I can hardly believe it. She couldn’t wait, and now I’ve caught the bug!” Jessica chuckled and leaned in, feigning a rough voice, “Hey, Rosa, I can’t wait a second longer to marry your son! He’s a great guy, thank you!”

“Don’t mention it!” Wang Yang’s mother’s laughter came through the phone, and then she added, “Jessica, I’m entrusting him to you, please take good care of this kid.” Jessica watched his smiling face and nodded with a laugh, “OK, I will!”

Wang Yang gently kissed her hair and continued the earlier conversation, “We are getting married next January. We figured three or four months would be enough time for both families to prepare for two weddings, right? Yes!” Something came to mind, and smiling at each other, he said, “We’re going to have two weddings. First, we’ll have a Catholic church blessing ceremony with lots of guests—just do it however which way makes us happy. Then we’ll head back to San Francisco for an intimate Chinese-style wedding among family and close friends, followed by our honeymoon.”

Because he wasn’t a Catholic, this ceremony wouldn’t be considered a “sacrament of matrimony” by the church, and the priest wouldn’t hold a sacramental mass wedding; however, they would have a blessing ceremony.

They had agreed that for the rest of this year, aside from overseeing the post-production of “The Devil Wears Prada” and preparing for the filming of “Firefly” among other film-related work, he wouldn’t take on any new tasks. He would also make time to coordinate some wedding planning; the main responsibilities for the wedding, however, would fall on her, with the assistance of family and the execution by a wedding planning company. Only after the wedding and the honeymoon next year would they start preparing for the shooting of “Firefly.”

“There’s definitely enough time, the only concern is if our guests can make it,” Wang Yang’s mother mused, recalling her own experience, “Yang, both your father and I had the same issue at our wedding. With so many people being invited, make sure to set the wedding date soon and send out invitations early so everyone can prepare…” She said, laughing, “It looks like we have quite a bit of work ahead of us.”

“Thanks, Mom. Let’s get the engagement party right first!” Wang Yang chuckled, suddenly inspired, “I’m thinking, should I cook myself? Be both the chef and the groom! My cooking skills are pretty amazing!”Jessica’s eyes lit up immediately, also eager, “I can help! We can make lots of delicious food for the guests together.” Wang Yang gave it some serious thought, then frowned, “But we have to cook for several tables! We can’t hide in the kitchen; we need to greet guests outside.” Jessica sounded disappointed with an “oh,” but Wang Yang suddenly exclaimed cheerfully, “I got it! We can cook just one dish!”…

The couple and Wang Yang’s mother chatted and laughed for a long time before ending the call. Wang Yang put the phone back on the nightstand and turned to gaze at her smiling face, locking eyes with her; Jessica also locked eyes with him, and they both felt their body temperature rise as their gazes smoldered.

Soon, the bedroom was filled with the sound of soft, labored breathing.

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