Time trickled by, and soon it was the National Day Golden Week holiday.
Fans swarmed into cinemas to support their goddess, Jiang Ling.
Despite the screening volume being only 25%, far less than films released concurrently, the attendance rate was astonishingly high, with seats almost completely full.
This was mainly due to the fans' strong support, with over 80% of the attendance contributed by them.
Jiang Ling's role in this film was set as the second female lead, not the protagonist, who was a heroic figure fighting alongside the male lead.
However, the cinema chains and capital investors, aiming to maximize profits, had all similarly elevated the character of Hai Long, played by Jiang Ling, to the status of the female lead.
This led audiences to believe that "Illusory Sky" was a dual-lead film, with Jiang Ling being one of them.
Jiang Ling turned a blind eye to the backstage dealings of the investors and cinema chains.
After all, the treatment for the female lead and the second female lead was vastly different, and she had been paid based on the second female lead's screen time.
If she had been the female lead from the start, her remuneration would have been at least ten million yuan more.
Jiang Ling, however, was too lazy to fuss over such matters.
According to the system, "Illusory Sky" would become an insurmountable classic divine film in Chinese film history after ten years.
There was a world of difference between being the female lead and the second female lead.
It was like the emperor's harem: the female lead was the empress. If the emperor died, no matter which prince ascended the throne, she would undoubtedly become the Empress Dowager.
The second female lead was a favored concubine. No matter how doted upon, once the emperor died, she would only become a Grand Consort, completely reduced to an invisible figure in the harem.
Similarly, becoming the female lead of "Illusory Sky" might not show significant differences in the short term, but in the future, it would be as different as heaven and earth.
After more than two years of continuous high-quality film releases, audiences had developed a perception: anything starring Jiang Ling was bound to be a masterpiece.
She was like the mythical phoenix; a phoenix does not roost on just any tree, nor does it land on any ordinary ground.
Any film she took an interest in and participated in was guaranteed to be good.
It is often said that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
The public's expectations were too high. When they finally entered the cinema and watched for ten to twenty minutes, they gradually sensed something was amiss.
The film was beautifully shot, with smooth transitions between various scenes and grand set pieces.
Every aspect was meticulously crafted, showing the director's effort and no intention of ripping off the audience.
Yet, there was no satisfying climax or explosive moment; it felt like a diary entry.
It wasn't until the plot reached the halfway mark that the male lead began his flashback.
The audience's eyes lit up.
In the male lead's flashback, Jiang Ling's character, Hai Long, made her grand entrance.
Clad in a pale purple qipao, she swayed gracefully, possessing both pure and vibrant beauty.
Her appearance lasted only five seconds, with no dialogue, just a single glance that left the cinema audience stunned.
As she slowly turned, her eyes, like autumn water, held the vastness of the cosmos.
The intensely captivating beauty seemed poised to tear through the movie screen and descend upon every audience member present.
A thousand words could not express it all; one glance conveyed everything.
In an instant, the previously quiet cinema erupted with exclamations of awe.
The audience was deeply moved by those eyes that seemed to hold eternity, but to avoid disturbing others' viewing experience, they had to forcefully restrain themselves.
Afterward, while continuing to watch, they began posting their reviews online.
Before the premiere even ended, evaluations of the film had already flooded the internet.
Public opinion on "Illusory Sky" was mixed, with considerable controversy.