Late that night in September 1994, 26-year-old Chen Hong walked into Chen Kaige's film crew in Suzhou with mixed emotions. At this time, director Chen Kaige was troubled by the inability to find a suitable female lead, and under the strong recommendation of a friend, this youthful and beautiful woman was invited.
However, to everyone's surprise, just as Chen Hong was about to start the audition, the producers of the crew suddenly received a mysterious anonymous email, which detailed the many secret interactions between Chen Hong and Chen Kaige.
This malicious private email deprived Chen Hong of the opportunity to win this important role.
At the end of the same year, Chen Kaige's father unfortunately passed away, and his confidante Ms. Ni Ping personally organized the funeral to replace her boyfriend with filial piety.
Surprisingly, in an interview many years later, Chen Kaige didn't say a word about Ni Ping's careful care back then, but thoughtfully sighed: "If my mother had introduced Chen Hong to me earlier, then I wouldn't have to go through those two failed marriages."
In 1996, Chen Hong's pregnancy, which had been silently by Director Chen Kaige's side, gradually surfaced, and finally the two decided to enter the palace of marriage.
According to rumors, Chen Hong, who was already pregnant with Liujia at the time, once had a big belly and came to the door to challenge Ni Ping without any scruples, trying to compete with her.
As Chen Kaige's official girlfriend, Ni Ping initially thought that they were just playing on the spot, but she didn't expect that this game would allow Chen Hong to successfully move into her home, and quickly take her to the United States to give birth soon after.
Seeing the man she had loved for many years gradually moving away from her, Ni Ping fell into confusion and helplessness, she wrote in her autobiography: "That time was like being in the dark, without the slightest dignity at all, no matter how many times I asked, the answer I got was always the same."
The gossip is like a sharp sword, and the outside world has speculated whether Chen Hong has done something immoral in this relationship journey.
However, Chen Hong firmly denied it, and she firmly stated that when she and Chen Kaige met and fell in love, both parties were single.
Despite this, the birth date of the eldest son Chen Yuang in 1997 still ruthlessly reveals the "embarrassing" situation that Chen Hong was in that year. However, in the face of other people's doubts, Chen Hong and his wife did not seem to care, and only three years later, the arrival of their second son Chen Feiyu finally made the family complete, and they began to enjoy a happy family of four.
When Chen Kaige was full of joy and walked into a new chapter of his life hand in hand with Chen Hong, his love journey had experienced many twists and turns.
His first married partner, Sun Jialin, came from a well-known and wealthy family. Sun Jialin is the daughter of the well-known designer Sun Fangchui, and her family background is very strong.
When they just stepped into the palace of marriage, the two were full of enthusiasm and eager to realize the values and ideals of life together.
Chen Kaige is determined to be admitted to the Beijing Film Academy, hoping to embark on the same path as his father, while Sun Jialin plans to follow his father's career and study abroad in order to become an outstanding engineer.
However, the beautiful vision did not last long. As the years passed, the couple's life and career gradually deviated from their original tracks.
One was in China, the other was adrift in a foreign country, and the communication technology was not yet developed at that time, so they rarely saw each other several times a year.
The long period of separation made it impossible for the newlyweds to maintain their original passion. It wasn't until 1984 that after Chen Kaige's first film work came out, he made a name for himself in the film industry, and his married life came to an end at this critical moment.
Chen Kaige, who is talented and full of charm in life, naturally attracted the attention of many women. Among them is Ms. Hong Huang, who comes from a wealthy background, and she is so attracted to this young and promising new director that she can't extricate herself.
It is worth mentioning that as the daughter of a rich family, she took the initiative to send a love invitation to Chen Kaige.
In 1987, in order to successfully go to the United States to further their film majors, Chen Kaige and Hong Huang entered the palace of marriage. As a U.S. citizen, Hong Huang opened the door to a green card for Chen Kaige.
It can be seen that there are many speculations about whether there are other motives and interests behind this marriage.
Three years later, Chen Kaige and Hong Huang returned to their homeland, and by this time he had become a rising star in the world of directing, and he became one of the leaders of the new generation with masterpieces such as "Singing While Walking".
However, as his fame grew, Hong began to re-examine her husband and his career.
She was deeply touched by her instincts and told her that people in the field of art always seemed to show a strong atmosphere of "intrigue". After the well-known director Chen Kaige became famous, he was always surrounded by all kinds of stars and beauties with different styles.
Although he is already a husband, in the face of their kind gestures, he never chose to refuse, but caused a lot of turmoil with several of them, such as the ambiguous rumors with the powerful actress Xu Qing, which are still talked about by people today.
This made Hong Huang feel deeply disappointed and disgusted with Chen Kaige. However, she didn't make a big fuss like ordinary people, nor did she delve into the truth of these rumors, but simply said indifferently: "I don't want to compete with anyone for the same man."
Once, the couple were invited to a grand banquet, and the organizer specially arranged a limousine transfer. However, the moment Chen Kaige got into the car, his face was filled with the joy of high society, while Hong Huang, who was sitting next to him, felt that even though his husband had achieved a certain success, his heart was still full of nouveau riche vanity.
In this way, they finally chose to part ways and ended this unhappy marriage.
Although Ni Ping and Chen Kaige did not enter the palace of marriage, in Chen Kaige's most difficult moments, Ni Ping always accompanied him and took care of his daily life as a virtuous helper.
However, when looking back on the past years, Chen Kaige did not mention Ni Ping's efforts back then, he just sighed thoughtfully: "If my mother could have introduced Chen Hong to me earlier, then I wouldn't have to go through two failed marriages."
This sentence undoubtedly reveals the complex emotions in human nature.
Talking about Chen Kaige's two sons, the eldest son Chen Yuang looks even more similar to his father, with distinct facial features and a scholarly temperament. However, the life trajectories of his and his younger brother Chen Feiyu are very different.
He sent Chen Yuang to study at Harvard's most prestigious aristocratic school in Beijing. It is reported that the annual tuition fees of this international school are staggeringly high, reaching six figures, which is enough to prove the high cost of tuition fees.
It is this prestigious school that cultivates elite talents that has opened the door to the social circle of famous families for Chen Yuang.
When Chen Yuang gradually entered adulthood, the time came in 2011, Chen Kaige once again made a firm decision - he decided to go all out to send his son to overseas prestigious schools for more in-depth education and training.
Even though Chen Hong's heart was full of deep reluctance at that time, under Chen Kaige's patient persuasion, she could only helplessly watch her beloved eldest son cross the ocean and start a new life journey.
So, Chen Yuang crossed the vast ocean alone and began a new chapter in his life. At the age of 18, he successfully entered a prestigious institution of higher learning in the United States and chose to study business and trade.
Thanks to the strong support of his family background and his own diligence and studiousness, Chen Yuang quickly made many friends from his proud family in this strange country.
In his social circle, all of them are the heirs of powerful families. For example, the daughter of the founder of Huawei Group, known as the "second princess", is his confidant and friend, and the pearl of the famous tycoon, who is respected as the "Macau gambling king", also maintains a deep friendship with Chen Yuang.
What's even more remarkable is that even Zhang Kangyang, the "crown prince" of the well-known Suning Group in Macau, is also one of Chen Yuang's friends.
This young and promising person may be relatively unfamiliar to the public, but when it comes to Suning Group, I believe that everyone knows and knows that Zhang Kangyang is the heir of this well-known company.
Judging from the above Chen Yuang's social circle, it is not difficult for us to find Chen Kaige's good intentions for his son. He has high hopes that Chen will be molded into a member of high society and an elite leader who will lead the new era.
In contrast, his younger brother Chen Feiyu embarked on the acting road carefully laid for him by his father since he was a child. As a generation of directors, Chen Kaige naturally hopes that his son can inherit and carry forward his career.
Looking back, Chen Feiyu has been performing guest appearances in his father's works since he was 10 years old. For example, in the movie "Zhao's Orphan" directed by Chen Kaige, Chen Feiyu, who was only 10 years old, was fortunate enough to get an insignificant role.
Although it is only an inconspicuous supporting role, for a 10-year-old child, it is undoubtedly a rare opportunity for a 10-year-old child to be able to participate in the work of the film and television crew and perform on the same stage with powerful actors such as Ge You.
There is no doubt that since he was a child, Chen Feiyu has gradually embarked on a bright star journey and started his journey of exploration of his acting career. With the passage of time and the precipitation of the years, his father Chen Kaige is also walking steadily, and he is making every effort to open up more broad roads to the entertainment industry for him.
Dating back to 2016, Chen Kaige was full of enthusiasm and talent and directed a masterpiece that brought together many powerful superstars - "The Legend of the Demon Cat". In this process, Chen Kaige not only asked his eldest son Chen Yuang to serve as the meeting minutes and simultaneous interpretation of the crew, but also provided the second son Chen Feiyu with the opportunity to experience the filming scene, and was responsible for taking care of and training the mysterious cat props in the film.
It is worth mentioning that at the filming site of this film, Chen Feiyu was fortunate to accept the personal guidance of his father Chen Kaige and accumulated valuable practical experience as an actor.
In actual combat, he learned how to accurately capture the charm of the character, and skillfully used expressions and body language to create a distinctive character image.
Soon after the successful completion of "The Legend of the Demon Cat", a family of three gathered on the stage of a variety show to show a warm and harmonious family atmosphere.
Subsequently, Chen Kaige led by example, showing a unique eating posture, and handed the chopsticks to his son Chen Feiyu with his own hands, which is undoubtedly to teach his years of performance experience.
Although this kneeling dining method is slightly peculiar to the audience, for Chen Feiyu, who is new to the entertainment industry, it has unexpectedly won widespread attention.
To sum up, since Chen Feiyu's childhood, Chen Kaige has always accompanied him and carefully cultivated his outstanding acting talent, laying a solid foundation for him to step into the entertainment industry in the future.
As the son of a director, Chen Feiyu does not need to worry about lack of resources, even after he officially enters his acting career, many senior filmmakers such as Hu Jun, Huang Lei and others will give this "little boss" special care and support.
However, although he has laid a deep foundation in acting under the careful cultivation of his father since he was a child, and is deeply loved and supported by his predecessors, looking back on Chen Feiyu's development trajectory in recent years, we can still find that it is not a smooth road.
Around 2016, when campus dramas were all the rage, Chen Feiyu seized this opportunity and starred in a high-profile campus youth-themed film work.
Unfortunately, the box office performance of the film after its release was not satisfactory and failed to receive the expected praise and attention.
Exploring the reason, we will inevitably mention that the "CP feeling" between Chen Feiyu and the heroine Ouyang Nana at that time was actually not satisfactory. Although the personal charm of the two actors shines, the love atmosphere presented by the on-screen couple they play is a little immature and boring, which makes people unable to resonate strongly, which undoubtedly has dealt a major blow to the audience's viewing experience.
Immediately afterwards, with the popularity of dramas such as "Celebrating More Than Years", which are popular with male audiences, film and television works that tend to such themes have also sprung up.
Chen Feiyu resolutely devoted himself to this craze and participated in two TV series of the same type one after another.
However, it is a pity that these two dramas did not cause much repercussions after they were broadcast, and failed to bring substantial impetus to Chen Feiyu's career.
It was not until 2022 that Chen Feiyu's performance in the suspense drama "Gold Rush" finally achieved a certain degree of breakthrough and improvement. In this drama, he has put a lot of effort into interpreting the role more deeply, and has always focused on studying the script and figuring out the inner world of the characters.
However, unfortunately, the launch time of this show happened to conflict with the popular film and television blockbuster "The Beginning", resulting in people having no time to care about and pay attention to it.
For Chen Feiyu, this year was supposed to be a year full of hope. According to the original plan, he will star in a number of popular costume dramas adapted from classic IPs in a row.
These works were supposed to be a new start in his career, but due to various irresistible factors, these episodes were forced to be postponed or canceled, missing the golden age of publicity, which is really sad.
Looking back on Chen Feiyu's journey in the past few years, although many of the works he starred in have not attracted widespread attention, he has still received strong support and praise from industry seniors such as Hu Jun and others.
However, due to the lack of the masterpiece that can lay the foundation for his acting career, coupled with the tricks of fate, his development path is full of twists and turns, and the progress is extremely slow.
Although Chen Feiyu and Chen Yuang were born in the same family, due to the differences in their parents' educational concepts and training methods, they finally chose completely different life paths.
Dating back to a few years ago, Chen Kaige once appeared on a talk show with his eldest son Chen Yuang.
Chen Yuang, a dynamic young scholar, did not hesitate too much and said firmly: "My father has always taught me that only through my unremitting efforts and selfless dedication can I win brilliant success in the true sense.
This down-to-earth and powerful statement undoubtedly demonstrates his unique steadiness and sophistication, and his approach to interpersonal communication, showing maturity and calmness beyond his peers, which is obviously inseparable from Chen Kaige's long-term vision and far-sightedness to shape him into a social elite in the new era.
However, unlike his brother, Chen Feiyu has been deeply influenced by his father's profound acting philosophy since he was a child. Since the age of ten, he has been arranged to intern in the crew, and then he personally made a cameo appearance, which can be said to have embarked on the road of acting since he was a child.
Even after officially stepping into the entertainment industry, Chen Feiyu still can't hide his ardent desire to get rid of the label of "director's son", and every time he is interviewed, he takes the trouble to emphasize his hard work and sweat, and seems to care very much about the recognition and acceptance of others.
Looking back carefully, Chen Kaige did adopt different training strategies and expectations for his two sons. He undoubtedly hopes that Chen Yuang will become a famous upstart, and Chen Feiyu is regarded as the successor to inherit his directing career.
The different plans for the two brothers when they were young made their adult life trajectories show all-round differences, whether it is a life circle, a social circle, or life ideals and values, the two have gradually gone to opposite ends.
Now, Chen Yuang has integrated into the circle of wealthy families and lives a carefree upper-class life. His circle of friends includes many well-known personalities such as Huawei's "Second Princess", "Macau Gambling King" daughter, and Suning Group's "Prince".
In contrast, Chen Feiyu still insists on working hard in the entertainment industry, and despite repeated doubts and attacks, he has never given up pursuing his dreams.
It is worth noting that the development path of the two brothers is not "one is prosperous, and the other is lost". When Chen Feiyu's career suffered a setback, Chen Yuang did not disparage or deny his way of life.
On the contrary, whenever someone mentions the brothers, Chen Yuang can always give an objective and fair evaluation and attitude.
Perhaps, this is exactly what director Chen Kaige hopes to realize from his two outstanding sons: each individual should follow his own unique way and tirelessly explore the exit and destination of life!
No matter what choice you make, there is no difference between high and low, as long as you stick to your faith, you will be able to find your own vast world!