Chapter 123: A Liter of Tears Reflected Above

  Zhou Xiao and Inoue chatted as they traversed the streets of Tokyo, finally returning to Uncle's home.

  Mr. Inoue and his family had been waiting for a long time, and his wife, who was also middle-aged, suggested that he come to their home for the New Year after hearing from Mr. Inoue about Zhou Xiao's situation of not going out during the Spring Festival, although Zhou Xian was nominally Mr. Inoue's boss, but including Mr. Inoue and his family, they still regarded Zhou Xiao as an eighteen-year-old boy.

  Inoue's daughter was already an adult and also stayed at home on New Year's Eve. She was very happy about Zhou Xiao's arrival. No matter how much she treated Zhou Xiao as an ordinary boy, he was still a singer who had just appeared on the Red and White Song Festival, a celebrity known throughout Japan. How could it be possible for a girl in her twenties not to be excited about such a person coming to her home for New Year's?

  Inoue's uncle's daughter looks okay, but that makeup makes Zhou Xiao somewhat unacceptable. Obviously a girl in her twenties, but looking at it feels like she's over thirty years old, leaving Zhou Xiao speechless.

  New Year's Eve dinner was quite lively, with many Japanese dishes such as sushi. While watching the evening gala on TV, they chatted and laughed together, and Zhou Xiao finally found a hint of the past year's feeling.

  He spent about three or four days on his New Year's holiday, and during this time, Zhou Xiao didn't go anywhere else. Since his little sister, Xiaoyu, hadn't returned home yet, he simply stayed at Uncle Jing's house and became a shut-in, passing the time by browsing the internet and watching various TV shows during the New Year's period. During this time, the promotion for "A Liter of Tears" was somewhat subdued, as the movie was too sad and didn't quite match the festive atmosphere of the New Year. However, with the release date approaching, there wasn't much time to worry about that. After seeing Zhou Xiao have so much fun in the "Final Exam" project, various Japanese shows began inviting him to appear on their programs. Starting from the 4th, Zhou Xiao had his company arrange for Miyazaki Aoi to come and participate in several shows with him for a day. Although Miyazaki Aoi is currently signed under AZX, her mother is quite particular about how she is used, and unless it's for important promotional events or film shoots, the girl still needs to focus on her studies. It seems that only after Miyazaki Aoi graduates from high school will she have enough time and energy to become a full-time performer.

  Zhou Xiao's joint appearance with Miyazaki Aoi caused a stir, with the 16-year-old girl and 19-year-old boy standing together, one as the lead actress and the other as the film's producer. It was like a fairy tale. Under the media's interpretation, Zhou Xiao's actions became extremely romantic. As the producer, he rediscovered the girl who had been a child star and had appeared in commercials, simply because he had seen her as a child. This was a heart-wrenching yet extraordinary love at first sight. The result was that the Japanese media made it seem like it was true. Even Miyazaki Aoi herself was puzzled if it was really like that. Zhou Xiao didn't respond well, originally saying that he had seen the girl's commercials as a child, which was undeniable. He couldn't say that he had only seen her movies years later, or that although he had seen her commercials, he had no interest in her at all. Not to mention whether saying so would hurt Miyazaki Aoi, but for Zhou Xiao, it would be embarrassing to say that he had no interest in her at all.

  In contrast to this problem, with the help of this small event, "A Liter of Tears" has received attention from many people. The story that took place over a decade ago is still remembered by most Japanese people, and now, combined with last week's trailer and news reports carefully crafted by director Nagata Kotomi, the level of social attention is quite high, especially after the big movie rush during New Year's.

  As for Zhou Xiao, there was a small matter on his side. Ogawa Yūko had seen the news about Zhou Xiao's flower border and was quite displeased. She sent him text messages and even ran to his room to question him. The lovely little girl hadn't thought too much into it, she just saw Zhou Xiao in contact with other girls. She was just a bit jealous.

  The first ten days of 2001 passed by in a lively and joyful manner, and by mid-January, Zhou Xiao's movie was finally about to be released!

  From last year's filming to now, I've experienced a lot of things. Fortunately, in terms of promotion, with enough time, it was done quite well, and most people know that there will be a very touching work coming soon. The number of theaters given by Kadokawa Film is also good, although the final schedule is still placed in a non-mainstream period, but at least the predicted box office level is good, and various film critics' reactions after watching the preview are good. They all gave more than three-star reviews, which can only be said to be average, but as a new director, a new screenwriter, and a group of new actors, with only one old thing being a movie production company that is about to die, these things together, having such an evaluation is already quite good.

  As for Zhou Xiao himself, he didn't think the drama would be a hit either. The movie version of "A Liter of Tears" in his previous life had ordinary results, and what really made it popular was the topic at the end. In the end, the TV series version and Sazae-san were the ones that got the peach, which is also why Zhou Xiao insisted on buying the TV series rights when purchasing the movie rights, and also why he released two TV series theme songs as singles.

  In such an atmosphere, on January 14th, "A Liter of Tears" began its nationwide release in Japan.

  Zhou Xiao was indeed at the premiere with the crew members such as Miyazaki Aoi, but although it was called a premiere, since the promotional expenses were almost all used up, this premiere didn't have any fancy stuff. Zhou Xiao just brought people on stage before the movie started to greet everyone.

  A few people greeted each other and quickly went down, then the lights in the cinema also dimmed, and the Kadokawa Film logo appeared on the screen.

  The opening scene of the film, designed by Zhou Xiao, is different from that in movies and TV dramas. In the movie version of the original work, perhaps due to time constraints, Aya's illness was revealed at the beginning, while the TV drama started with a sports scene featuring Aya, accompanied by Dr. Fujiki Naoto's explanation of her condition.

  Both of them adopted the approach of naming the illness first, Zhou Xiao didn't like this approach, he and Nagata Koto both thought that even if the audience who came to watch the movie already knew it was a tragedy, they shouldn't focus on describing Aya's illness and tragic fate as the theme of the play.

  So the first act of today is the plot of the TV drama version of Aya's first appearance, and the description of the tofu shop family waking up reveals the harmony and most importantly the theme of this family. Aya's love for life, her love for the world, and the beauty and vitality that she originally possessed, which seems to illuminate everything.

  After that, the problem of Yaoyao was gradually revealed, and the scene where Yaoyao's illness was revealed was also a scene where Yaoyao got to know and liked Zhou Xiao, played by the male lead.

  Then, accompanied by Ah-ya's illness, after his mother learned of the situation, she was at a loss for what to do. Ah-ya's faint first love with the male lead unfolded into a series of events that pushed the plot towards its first climax. This first climax is described in the script as "Ah-ya's worst day".

  That day, in the afternoon, Ya's confession was rejected by the male lead, at noon she got injured and was sent to the hospital, and by evening, her mother finally told her the truth about why she had been falling down and getting hurt all this time.

  Illness, suffering, and heartbreak all took a toll on Aya's nerves, making the girl feel unbearable pain. Xiaowei in the movie theater could sense it, as Aya ran into her room alone to suffer, the entire audience couldn't help but start sobbing too. For a moment, aside from the loud movie sound, there were many people sniffling and even blowing their noses.

  "Now everyone starts crying, good show... has just begun." Zhou Xiao thought with some excitement.