In the fall of 2018, Beijing Film Academy held a grand and enthusiastic celebration ceremony of "Forty Years of Reunion". Those acting class classmates who had walked side by side in their youthful and frivolous years reunited here, but time has ruthlessly sharpened their youth, and now everyone's appearance has changed dramatically compared with the past.
Fang Shu, who used to have a bright smile and exuded charming charm in his gestures, has now entered the later stage of his life. Her hair was gray, her face was tired, and her eyes had lost their former brilliance, in stark contrast to her former self.
The moment she staggered into the venue, a brief silence instantly permeated, and all the classmates present were shocked by her current situation.
There is nothing more emotional in the world than the twilight of the heroes of yesteryear. Fang Shu was once an indisputable campus celebrity, and with his outstanding appearance and superb acting skills, he was known as "China's version of Audrey Hepburn" in the film industry.
However, now, she has long been away from the bright stage and lives a lonely life that no one pays attention to.
Seeing that former classmates and friends such as Zhang Tielin, Zhang Fengyi and others have become dazzling stars in the film and television industry and are loved by the audience, Fang Shu can't help but sigh that time has flown by, and the glory of the past has long been gone.
She could scarcely accept that this was where she really was.
Let's go back to the peak of Fang Shu's career. In 1985, Cao Yu's classic work "Sunrise" was about to appear on the big screen. Many actresses coveted the role of "Chen Bailu" in the play, and Fang Shu also heard the news and was eager to take this opportunity to show her talent.
In order to successfully perform this role, Fang Shu publicly appealed in the magazine "Popular Film", elaborating on his understanding of "Chen Bailu" and his unique interpretation.
After many selections, she finally stood out and won the honor of playing the heroine.
Although Cao Yu had reservations about Fang Shu's figure and appearance, the director still firmly chose her. Fang Shu knew that this was a great opportunity for him to make a name for himself in the film industry, and decided to do his best to create this role.
In order to get closer to the image of "Chen Bailu" in the original book, she not only dressed up carefully and wore corresponding props, but also deeply studied the living habits of the 30s of the last century, such as smoking, tap dancing, playing mahjong, etc., and strived to fully integrate into this role.
During the filming process, she always maintained the life style of "Chen Bailu" in order to enter the state of the role at any time.
With his deep and detailed understanding of the role and superb performance skills, Fang Shu finally portrayed the intricate character vividly and deeply into the bone marrow.
Since its release, the classic masterpiece "Sunrise" starring her has immediately caused a sensation inside and outside the entire industry, and the dazzling Fang Shu has been singing all the way and won the crown of Best Actress at the 9th Hundred Flowers Awards.
Since then, Fang Shu was invited to host the 1986 Spring Festival Gala with his extraordinary hosting talent, becoming the first host to host the whole process in fluent English after Zhao Zhongxiang and other celebrities.
At the peak of her popularity, Fang Shu was known as the "Chinese Audrey Hepburn". In films such as "Young Friends" and "Forget-me-not", she has an unmistakable grasp of the complex emotions of the characters, and she interprets each character vividly, with a superb skill that is breathtaking.
At that time, Fang Shu's career was in full swing and a smash hit. Her smile is splendid, and her gestures exude a charming temperament, becoming the goddess of loyalty in the hearts of countless fans.
However, just as her career was booming, Fang Shu's love life was in trouble. Her first husband, Chen Guoxing, is a talented director, and the two met and fell in love on the crew.
At that time, Chen Guoxing had just directed the movie "Mountain Soul Thunderbolt", and Fang Shu played the role of the heroine. The days spent together made the bond between the two even stronger.
Everyone thinks they are a match made in heaven and destined to spend the rest of their lives together.
However, soon after the marriage, the conflict gradually became apparent between the loving couple. As an actor, Fang Shu grew up in a superior environment since he was a child, with a romantic and amorous personality, eager for surprise and freshness.
However, Chen Guoxing, as a director, has a certain degree of machismo, and he doesn't want his wife to be too sharp in her career.
More crucially, when Fang Shu's prestige and influence were far greater than that of her husband, Chen Guoxing began to feel inferior and jealous. He hopes that his wife can return to the family wholeheartedly, but how can Fang Shu, who is at the peak of his acting career, give up easily? The huge difference in the concepts between the two, coupled with the imbalance of fame, has deepened the rift in their relationship.
At the critical moment, a powerful singer named Tu Honggang stepped into their lives and won the love of the majority of listeners with his impassioned song "Loyal to the Country" and became popular.
For Fang Shu, who is married, Tu Honggang's passionate pursuit is like a heat wave, which has made her mood change dramatically.
Tu Honggang is ten years younger than Fang Shu, energetic and passionate, in sharp contrast to Chen Guoxing. Under his meticulous care, Fang Shu's heart gradually wavered, and he was finally deeply attracted to him.
In 1994, Fang Shu decisively ended his marriage to Chen Guoxing and unreservedly chose to spend the rest of his life with Tu Honggang.
It is worth mentioning that Tu Honggang was not a perfect person at that time, he already had a wife and children. However, Fang Shu did not hesitate to marry this man who was affectionate to her, and gave birth to the crystallization of their love - a daughter obediently.
The couple, who had a huge age difference, sparked widespread attention and criticism from all walks of life at the time. However, Fang Shu didn't care about this, and even took his two daughters to Putuo Mountain to pray for a happy marriage.
However, good times are always short-lived. After marriage, Tu Honggang's career is in full swing, and the affairs of dogs and horses have also followed. He was intoxicated with the vanity fair of the outside world, scandals kept coming, and the contradictions between him and Fang Shu deepened day by day.
Finally, in 2002, this eight-year marriage ended in a painful divorce. The two daughters were sentenced to be raised by Fang Shu, and Tu Honggang went to another country and never looked back.
Fang Shu, who was once infinitely beautiful, fell from the clouds in an instant and lived a difficult and difficult life. She had to take on the burden of raising her two daughters on her own, wearing many hats and living an exhausting life.
In order to provide a stable family environment for his daughters, Fang Shu had to borrow 200,000 yuan to buy a property to temporarily shelter them from the wind and rain. Surrounded by the laughter of two young children every day, she loves and hates, and sometimes even wants to run away from it all.
During the day, she had to do her best to maintain her meager family expenses, and had to give up the peak of her career, so she could only barely participate in the filming of some small roles to ensure the basic living needs of the whole family.
With a meager income and three people to support, Fang Shu had to tighten his clothes and live a poor life.
In the silent night, when he was alone in a foreign land, Fang Shu could not escape the torment of deep guilt in his heart after all. She clearly understands that once upon a time, she had a brilliant career and enjoyed great honors, but today, she has ended up in such a difficult situation and living in poverty, which is undoubtedly due to her own mistakes.
The eldest daughter looked at her mother's predicament, her heart was full of pain and helplessness, and she could only reduce her mother's burden by studying diligently and taking on the heavy responsibilities of the family with excellent academic performance.
She firmly chose journalism and aspired to be a great journalist.
The youngest daughter obediently inherited her mother's artistic talent, and under the careful guidance of her mother, with the dream of becoming an excellent actor, she vowed to one day follow in her mother's footsteps and embark on the road of acting.
Whenever he saw the clear and bright eyes of his two daughters, Fang Shu's heart was always tormented by guilt. However, the daughters are trying to grow in their own unique way, giving their mothers endless strength and motivation to move forward.
To trace the starting point of Fang Shu's acting career, we must go back to the moment when she decided to apply for the Beijing Film Academy in 1978.
At that time, she seemed to exude a fresh and refined atmosphere, which was the unique charm of an 18-year-old girl full of dreams. On her first day at university, she quickly became the focus of attention on campus with her outstanding appearance and elegant and generous temperament.
Shen Danping, who is also a classmate of the 78-level performance department, can still clearly recall Fang Shu's demeanor back then: "She is tall and slender, with deep and heroic facial features, and she is a typical northern girl."
"I can say without exaggeration that at least more than half of the 23 boys in our class had a secret affection for her.
However, Fang Shu's performance on campus was not public, but rather a little restrained and introverted. Shen Danping, who lived in the same dormitory, even mistakenly thought that she was looking down on herself at first, but it was not until she learned more about her true character that she realized that Fang Shu was just too shy.
In the depths of his classmate Xie Yuan's memory, Fang Shu is like a warm sun, every time she blooms a bright smile, she can make him feel joy and comfort that he has never felt in his heart.
In order to win the favor of his sweetheart, he did not hesitate to go to great lengths to enlighten Fang Shu, just hoping to see her smile that captivated the country and the city.
However, despite Xie Yuan's active pursuits, Xie Yuan and other classmates were never able to get special intimate treatment from Fang Shu beyond the boundaries of friendship.
She just devotes herself to her studies in a low-key and restrained manner, focusing on acting research, and after graduation, she successfully entered the Beijing Film Studio.
Who would have thought that this seemingly ordinary woman on the surface would be the "Chinese Audrey Hepburn" who would be famous in the land of China in the future? It is this unswerving spirit of perseverance and dedicated attitude that has enabled Fang Shu to move forward steadily in his acting career and finally achieve today's brilliant achievements.
Now, the lady of the sky who once made countless people fall in love with her has become a former star who has been forgotten by the world in the corner of time.
However, Fang Shu didn't complain too much about this.
On the contrary, she often recalls the past of playing the role of "Little Radish Head" in her childhood, so as to inspire her daughters to be like the bright, studious, tenacious and unyielding children, with dreams and hard work.
Sometimes, she is warmly invited by her alma mater to return to Beijing Film Academy to teach young students the essence of performing arts, and pass on the valuable experience she has accumulated over the years to the new generation of actors.
Occasionally, she will return to the drama stage, sway herself to the fullest in the familiar theater, and continue the dream of acting that is hidden deep in her heart.
Although he has fallen into a low point in his life several times, Fang Shu is now extremely satisfied with his current life situation. She knows that life is a journey full of gains and losses, joys and sorrows, and the key is to be grateful.
As long as you have your daughters by your side, happiness will always be close at hand.
She is no longer the dazzling goddess of the film industry decades ago, but an ordinary middle-aged woman. But what does it matter? In the ordinary, life can also bloom.
It is with such a most unpretentious lifestyle that Fang Shu lives the happiest life for her.