novellhall Chapter 151 My Cousin and Brother-in-Law [4000 words]
Chapter 151 My Cousin and Brother-in-Law [4000 words]
Chapter 151 My Cousin and Brother-in-Law [4000 words] (Seeking monthly votes)
Some fans of the original novel were not satisfied with the trailer.
They have a deep affection for the original work and a fixed imagination about it.
Some argue that the trailer highlights the film's superficiality, oversimplifies the characters and themes, and erodes the literary quality and intellectual depth of the original work by using Hollywood commercial formulas.
The movie may be entertaining, but it has lost the soul of the book.
The book fans, who were originally a distinct group, quickly split into two factions.
Movie buffs shared GIFs from the trailer, praising the visuals and performances.
Book fans, on the other hand, quoted passages from the original work to criticize the inappropriate adaptation.
Interspersed among these comments were comments from fans simply admiring his looks: "Chen Xun is so handsome!"
"Jennifer looks absolutely stunning!"
Occasionally, a few troll comments pop up: "I still can't accept an Asian Pita!"
The entire internet was in an uproar!
Chen Xun scrolled through the comments on his tablet in real time, remaining outwardly calm.
But every time he sees a comment saying "Chen Xun is handsome", he quickly switches to his alternate account to give it a like!
No other meaning.
The main problem is that I forget the password for my secondary account because I haven't logged in for a long time!
Jennifer sat beside her, phone in hand, her brow furrowing and relaxing intermittently.
Some people say I'm love-obsessed!
Chen Xun pointed to a comment criticizing Peeta's lines.
"Some people say I only have muscles and no soul."
Jennifer snorted, but then pointed to another comment praising her action scenes: "But I got plenty of compliments too!"
"It's a good thing that opinions differ."
Chen Xun put down his tablet: "This shows that the trailer has successfully stirred up the emotions of different groups. The worst thing is no reaction. Only with controversy can there be sustained popularity."
The first trailer for "The Hunger Games" quickly went viral in North America.
Just a few hours later, Chen Xun's post on Tieba was already on the front page.
The translation team and resource experts were incredibly efficient; the high-definition trailer with Chinese subtitles appeared on the front page and download links of major film and television websites within half a day of its North American release.
For fans and moviegoers in China who follow Chen Xun, this is nothing short of a feast.
After "Green Lantern," Chen Xun disappeared for several months to film a teenage murder mystery movie.
Many fans had their doubts.
The recent leaks and variety show appearances have given some people a better understanding of the film.
And now the trailer is here!
Click to watch the video.
The strong cinematic atmosphere created by the Hollywood industry is palpable.
In this era, Hollywood movies are still quite high quality.
Domestic fans and casual viewers overwhelmingly praised the trailer for "The Hunger Games".
After all, only a small number of people in China have seen "The Hunger Games," and they don't have much of a sentimental attachment to the original work.
The original work doesn't matter at all, as long as the movie is good!
In the newly established Hunger Games and Chen Xun forums on Baidu, posts are refreshing at a visible rate:
Holy crap! This trailer is amazing! Lionsgate really went all out this time?!
[Brother Xun is awesome! That soulful look in his eyes was amazing! And his English lines were so charming!]
[That blonde actress is so cool! Her archery moves are clean and crisp; no wonder she's been nominated for an Oscar!]
[The plot looks exciting! A battle royale for teenage boys and girls? Intriguing! Will it be released in China? I'm begging for it to be imported!]
[Chen Xun's resources are amazing! He just finished playing a DC superhero and now he's landed the lead role in such a big-budget teen IP drama. He's about to take off!]
Positive reviews keep coming in!
Especially the chemistry between Chen Xun and Jennifer in the trailer.
The interactions between the two, their eye contact, and the final scene where they face a desperate situation and are even preparing to die together—these clips were extracted and made into GIFs, which went viral on Baidu Tieba, forums, and the newly emerging Weibo.
"These two look perfect together!"
"Chen Xun's gaze towards Jennifer is so intense! They must have a good relationship off-screen too, right?"
"Has anyone dug into their private interactions? I need some sweet moments!"
Among this group of posts celebrating sweet moments, an inconspicuous post was quietly published:
[In a rational discussion, is it possible for Jennifer Lawrence to win another Oscar for her acting skills?]
The poster's ID was ordinary, but their words implied that they had inside information.
"The poster's cousin is Jennifer. Several film critics have already privately said that my cousin is a strong contender for next year's Oscar for Best Actress, and Lionsgate is preparing to go all out for the award."
2L: "Cousin? Really? No picture, no proof."
3L: "The original poster's cousin is Jennifer? Then, rounding up, Jennifer Lawrence is practically my cousin too! [doge]"
4L: "Haha, then I'll also claim kinship. From today onwards, Jennifer Lawrence is my older cousin!"
'
5L: "Big Cousin +1! This nickname is so down-to-earth! Much more endearing than calling me by my English name!"
6L: "Jennifer Lawrence is going for the Oscars! Judging from the murderous aura in this trailer, I think she has a chance!"
7L: If you want to watch movies, find me at W1B1G1.com (remove Chinese characters).
8L: "Am I the only one with the wrong focus? If Jennifer Lawrence is the older sister, then isn't Chen Xun, who plays her love interest, our brother-in-law?"
9L: "Brother-in-law??? The person upstairs is amazing! That's the perfect way to address someone!"
10L: "My older cousin and her husband! Hahaha, we even have a couple name!"
11L: "Support brother-in-law! Chen Xun's looks and acting skills are a perfect match for our cousin!"
A seemingly joking nickname, due to its inexplicable sense of familiarity and humor, quickly spread from this one post.
"Big Cousin" became Jennifer's first widely known nickname on the Chinese internet.
And "Brother-in-law" naturally became Chen Xun's new nickname among his fans in China.
These two nicknames, full of the down-to-earth charm of ordinary Chinese families, instantly struck a chord with netizens and sparked their desire to share them.
Related discussions and jokes are increasing: "The muscles in Jennifer Lawrence's trailer look like she can fight; her husband is so lucky!"
"How long did your brother-in-law practice that English line? It sounded pretty good. He must have put in a lot of effort to match Jennifer Lawrence's line, right?"
"Please, my cousin and her husband, do more promotional appearances together! I love watching!"
This enthusiasm from the East, imbued with a strong internet culture, has also been sporadically spread back to Twitter and TumbIr through reposting.
Some international fans were both confused and amused: "Big Sister? Brother-in-law? What does this mean?"
After the explanation, many people exclaimed that it was cute, and some even started to imitate it by using the pinyin to address the person.
Chen Xun, who was sleeping, suddenly received a call from Robert.
"Bro! You're trending again! This time you've got Jennifer involved too!"
It took Chen Xun half a minute to figure out the whole story of his older cousin and brother-in-law.
Unexpectedly, Jennifer's title of "Big Cousin" from her previous life has come true for the two of them in this life.
He hung up the phone and went to the living room.
Jennifer, with her hair all messy, was trying to bake bread in the bread machine in the kitchen.
Chen Xun leaned against the kitchen door frame, his tone somewhat subtle: "Your fans in China have given you a new nickname."
"Um?"
Jennifer turned around, her face still showing the frustration of struggling with the bread machine: "What nickname? Is it nice?"
"They call you 'Big Cousin'!"
Jennifer blinked twice, looking completely bewildered. "What do you mean?"
She couldn't understand the kinship reference and internet culture behind this term at all.
Chen Xun spent some effort explaining the post on the forum and the netizens' thought process.
After hearing this, Jennifer's expression changed from bewilderment to a mixture of amusement and exasperation: "Just because I have a non-existent Chinese relative, I've become the 'big cousin' of all Chinese netizens?"
She shrugged, finding it both amusing and intriguing: "So what do they call you? It can't be 'Big Cousin,' can it?"
Chen Xun paused for a moment, then uttered three words: "Brother-in-law."
Jennifer paused for two seconds, then burst into a deafening laugh, nearly throwing the burnt bread in her hand: "Pfft!"
"Hahaha! Brother-in-law?"
"Because you played my love interest?"
"Oh my God! Chinese netizens are so talented! This pairing is so well-received, it almost feels like a family drama!"
She laughed for a while before stopping, wiping away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, and looked at Chen Xun: "My older cousin and brother-in-law, it sounds like a program on some Chinese family channel, so does that mean I have relatives in China?"
"That's one way to understand it!"
Chen Xun smiled too.
Using Chen Xun's phone, which was now equipped with magic, the two of them kept browsing domestic online forums and message boards.
Jennifer couldn't stop laughing as she looked at the photoshopped pictures of her and Chen Xun that had been turned into all sorts of funny pictures.
He didn't even bother with the burnt bread slices in his hand.
Capitalizing on this wave of popularity, Lionsgate immediately decided to launch its global promotional tour ahead of schedule.
Our first stop was, unsurprisingly, Los Angeles!
This is the heart of the film industry, its main base.
World premiere!
When Rob called Chen Xun, his voice was extremely excited: "Those lunatics at Lionsgate have gone all out! They're going to build an arena!"
The premiere was held at noon.
Inside the temporary office space rented by Lionsgate.
Jennifer's styling team occupied the entire dressing room, from which the sound of hairdryers could be heard constantly.
Liam arrived early to join them, and he seemed more relaxed than Chen Xun and Jennifer.
In his words, "Today's main characters are Katniss and Peeta; Gale is just the childhood sweetheart who stayed in the old town."
This prompted Jennifer to throw a cushion out of the dressing room.
Chen Xun's look is relatively simple and neat.
He wore a tailor-made dark satin lapel suit, the cut of which perfectly accentuated his even more muscular physique after training.
He wore a simple white shirt underneath, without a tie, and the collar was slightly open.
This was the stylist's advice to him.
It exudes a sense of power and mystery, with a touch of aristocratic air that makes it difficult to approach.
A vibrant color represents strength and elegance; tonight you are a victor returning from the arena.
He looked at himself in the mirror. Although his aura attribute hadn't reached level 5 yet, it was enough for him to naturally pull off this kind of outfit that required him to command attention.
However, there is only one main character tonight, and that is the female lead, Katniss.
When Jennifer came out of the guest room, even Chen Xun and Liam, who were used to such scenes, were briefly silent.
She wore a stunning off-the-shoulder, floor-length gown in a muted, matte satin fabric with a subtle sheen. The clean, sharp cut perfectly hugged her curves, accentuating her figure without revealing any timidity.
The dress itself is extremely simple, but the real highlight is above the left chest.
A gold mockingbird brooch with an intricate design and dazzling brilliance.
The little bird spreads its wings as if about to take flight, but a sharp arrow pierces its body. The arrow is made of countless tiny crystals and metal pieces, and it still gleams like a flame in the indoor light.
Her blonde hair was carefully styled up, revealing her beautiful shoulder and neck lines, and her makeup featured smoky eye makeup that accentuated her features and retro red lips.
"How is it?"
Jennifer spun around, her tone tinged with a hint of smugness.
Chen Xun could sense her nervousness, fearing that her attire was either too heavy or too light.
"Absolutely amazing!"
Liam whistled: "I guarantee it'll be on the front page of every fashion section tomorrow."
Chen Xun nodded and said seriously, "It looks a lot like the battle robe that Katniss snatched from the Capitol designers."
This comment made Jennifer laugh, and her nervousness lessened considerably.
Chen Xun understood what she wanted.
It's not just about being visually appealing; it's about being stunning because it embodies the soul of the character.
Watching the two exchanging glances, Liam felt like a clown!
So I'm just part of your game, huh?
The servants arrived at the premiere venue in a limousine.
Before the car had even come to a complete stop, the deafening roar of the outside world came through the well-insulated windows.
Looking out the car window, the famous square in front of the theater has completely changed.
The traditional Red City area has now turned into a sea of fire.
On the ground, the constantly flowing and changing holographic projection flame effects burned fiercely, illuminating the entire passage in an orange-red hue.
The flames flickered as if they were alive, as if Kurenai were the scorched earth of the arena.
Metal decorations, designed to resemble the Horn of Plenty and ancient Roman chariots from the movie, stand on both sides of the passageway.
Security guards dressed in uniform stood on both sides, further enhancing the immersive experience of the arena.
Lionsgate cleverly brought the retro-futuristic aesthetics of the film directly into reality.
As early as a week ago, enthusiastic fans began setting up camp and queuing up.
Like the different sections in a movie, they were cleverly arranged in specific areas, holding movie posters and nameplates with the characters' names on them.
Numerous movie-related slogans are mixed in with the fan base.
Chen Xun even saw many domestic fans holding up signs that read "Big Cousin, Sister Lian Ge".
When the film crew's car arrived, the fans screamed so loudly it almost lifted the roof off.
On social media, the hashtag #HungerGamesPremiere is trending at an astonishing rate.
The car door opened.
The sound waves crashed over us like the sea.
Liam was the first to drive, and he smiled and waved to the fans, eliciting cheers.
Next was Chen Xun, who stepped out of the car and onto the projection of flames.
His gaze swept over the bustling crowd and the media cameras that twinkled like a sea of stars, and he nodded slightly.
Suddenly he made a polite gesture and reached for the car door with one hand.
Jennifer was surprised by Chen Xun's action. Her pretty face flushed slightly, and without any hesitation, she took his hand in hers.
Jennifer stepped out of the car, her long legs revealing her stunning dress and gold brooch against the firelight.
The moment Jennifer appeared!
The screams at the scene reached their first peak.
"Jennifer!"
"Katenes!"
"Big Cousin!"
The servants stand shoulder to shoulder, the world's flames burn red.
Every time you visit a temple, the projection of your feet will create a ripple-like interactive effect.
The media's cameras flashed wildly.
Chen Xun and Jennifer struck the poses that the media and production team wanted most.
The two stood side by side.
Jennifer tilted her head slightly, while Chen Xun calmly gazed ahead.
The two turned to look at the camera in a certain direction. Jennifer's face showed Katniss-like stubbornness, while Chen Xun's face showed Pi Duan's gentle determination.
Liam wisely stood to the side and behind the clothes, maintaining a friendly triangular relationship.