1. Hidden sadness and regret under external prosperity
In September 2023, Zhang Fengyi, who is 67 years old, has entered the later stage of his life. Although the years have passed mercilessly, he still maintains a strong vitality in his acting career. As a well-known veteran movie star in China, in the past year alone, he has participated in six high-profile TV series such as "Love Fights to Win", "A Generation of Hong Businessmen", "Mountains, Rivers and Moonlight", "Guardian", etc., and his frequency of taking on plays is so high that it even surpasses many young generation actors.
On the surface, today's Zhang Fengyi seems to be living a happy life. He lives in a spacious villa in Beijing's Chaoyang District, where the courtyard is full of greenery, fruit trees, and carefree.
As an experienced film and television giant, his financial situation is naturally quite superior. However, behind this seemingly glamorous appearance, Zhang Fengyi hides unspeakable distress and deep regret in his heart.
What worries him the most is the increasingly alienated family bond with his only son Zhang Boyu. Although father and son live together in the bustling capital of Beijing, it has become increasingly difficult to see each other once.
Zhang Fengyi is eager to mend the broken relationship with his son, but his son does not seem interested in it. In the dead of night, Zhang Fengyi was always troubled by this father-son relationship, pacing alone in the courtyard, looking at the direction of his son, tears quietly slipping down.
"Son, why do you always refuse to visit me?" Zhang Fengyi muttered to himself in a low voice, his tone full of helplessness and self-blame.
Another thing that made Zhang Fengyi regret was that he failed to have children that year. Now he is over the age of old, and he and his wife are in this villa in Chaoyang District, only relying on each other, and the laughter of the children can no longer be heard at home.
Whenever he heard the sound of the neighbor's children frolicking from the window, Zhang Fengyi's heart seemed to be stung, and he suddenly felt unprecedented loneliness and loneliness.
2. Father and son break: The son's dedication to acting causes contradictions
The relationship between Zhang Fengyi and his son Zhang Boyu broke down because the latter decided to devote himself to acting. In 2006, Zhang Boyu, who had just graduated from high school, firmly set up his ambition to become an actor.
For this enthusiastic young man, it is undoubtedly his biggest dream to be able to follow in his father's footsteps and step on the stage of his long-awaited performance.
With good expectations and ardent desire, Zhang Boyu finally ushered in a meeting with his father Zhang Fengyi, and he hoped to get his father's strong support and high recognition at this critical moment.
He has been in the film and television industry for many years, and naturally understands that his father's encouragement is undoubtedly a powerful boost in his career, but unfortunately, to Zhang Boyu's surprise, Zhang Fengyi not only did not express the care and understanding he deserved, but warned him in a cold tone: "Your face is too large, your appearance is not enough to show the best shooting effect, and the possibility of wanting to play the starring role in the future is very small" The next words were even more sharp: "In my life, I have never asked others for a role, I will never run around in the circle for you in the future."
Zhang Fengyi's words were like a heavy blow, deeply stabbing the young Zhang Boyu's heart. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and he left the scene with anger, full of disappointment and pain about his father's words and actions.
However, Zhang Boyu did not give up because of this, but became more determined and tenacious in the face of his parents' strong opposition, he became more and more determined to become an excellent actor, with the full support of his mother Lu Liping, Zhang Boyu successfully stepped into the Stars Art School and began his acting career.
Since then, the relationship between father and son has gradually drifted apart. Zhang Fengyi does what he says, and has never matched his son Zhang Boyu in the circle, while Lu Liping is actively looking for various film and television opportunities for his son.
In 2014, when Zhang Boyu entered the marriage hall, he notified his father Zhang Fengyi two months in advance, but the latter was indifferent to this matter, did not react, and even failed to attend his son's wedding.
Since then, the relationship between father and son has completely broken down, and it has become a stranger. Even though they live in the same city, they see each other very rarely. This break in the father-son relationship has undoubtedly become an eternal pain in Zhang Fengyi's heart.
In the flowery years of 1987, the 29-year-old Zhang Fengyi and Lu Liping tied the knot in the beautiful capital Beijing, and achieved a good story. Only a year later, the advent of their love crystallization, the little life Zhang Boyu, added endless joy to the family.
In the first few years, Zhang Fengyi and Lu Liping were in love, and the family atmosphere was warm and sweet, which was enviable.
However, as time went by, the huge differences in the personalities of the two gradually emerged, and the contradictions intensified, and finally came to an end in 1991, announcing the end of this marriage.
The breakdown of this marriage was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Zhang Boyu, who was only a few years old, and left him with a deep psychological trauma After his parents divorced, he could only live with his mother Lu Liping.
In the face of his son's physical and mental exhaustion, Zhang Fengyi's heart was like a knife, and he had repeatedly persuaded Lu Liping to educate his son well and guide him to actively participate in physical exercise to lose weight, but the effect was not obvious, and Lu Liping ignored it.
In desperation, Zhang Fengyi had to turn to his ex-wife's second husband Tao Wei for help, and after many efforts, Zhang Boyu's weight was able to decrease.
However, fate always seems to like to play tricks on people, and Lu Liping's marriage with Tao Wei has not escaped the doom of breaking down. To add insult to injury, Zhang Boyu once again fell into the haze of his mother's marital turmoil, and the scars in his heart became more and more serious.
As a father, Zhang Fengyi once again felt the pain of being unable to return to the sky, and his heart was full of endless guilt.
This broken marriage not only made the deep friendship between Zhang Fengyi and his friends come to naught, but also cast a heavy shadow on his son Zhang Boyu's growth path. Now, whenever he recalls that unbearable past, Zhang Fengyi can't let go of his feelings and feels deeply remorseful.
Fourth, regret lingers: the guilt of alienating his son and not having children is difficult to release
Zhang Fengyi, who is now in his old age, has two biggest regrets in his heart that he was estranged from his son Zhang Boyu and missed the opportunity to become a father; At the same time, the failure to have children made him and his wife rely on each other in their old age, feeling endless loneliness.
As a father, Zhang Fengyi's indifference and ruthlessness to his son Zhang Boyu made the latter suffer abandonment at the age when he needed his father's love the most. Not only did he not give his son enough support and encouragement to pursue his acting dreams, but he even chose to be absent at his son's wedding, which undoubtedly hurt his son's soul greatly.
It is a pity that Zhang Fengyi was unable to give birth to his own children in that era. Mr. Zhang Fengyi, an artist with a strong traditional spirit, has always longed to have future generations to carry on the family lineage.
However, it is sad that his wife, Ms. Huo Fan, has been firmly refusing to have children for many years, which has made this good wish come to naught! Now, the years have passed inexorably, and the two have entered their twilight years, where can they find the opportunity to reshape this regret?
Today's Zhang Fengyi and Huo Fan can only rely on each other and spend the rest of their lives together. They live in a luxurious villa in Beijing's Chaoyang District, which is spacious and comfortable, but it looks exceptionally deserted.
Whenever he saw the children and grandchildren of the neighbors around him, laughing and laughing, Zhang Fengyi's heart felt like he was stinged, and he felt lonely and desolate like he had never been.
He once had a love for fitness, but now it's the only solace in his lonely life. And his wife Huo Fan, watching her husband indulge in fitness, was also full of endless complaints.
Without the company of the children, the desertion of this villa is even more sad.
5. The second marriage: the wife's resistance to childbirth causes conflicts
In 1994, 34-year-old Zhang Fengyi tied the knot with the young and beautiful Ms. Huo Fan. At that time, Zhang Fengyi had just ended a failed marriage, his economic situation was also at a low point, and he was in a double dilemma of career and life.
And Ms. Huo Fan, only 26 years old, is an outstanding young teacher from the Beijing Dance Academy, who is not yet married, but shows amazing virtuous qualities.
Despite their equal status and different experiences, Ms. Huo Fan has always been a good and conscientious wife. She silently endured the hardships of life, stood with her husband through thick and thin, and never complained about her husband's predicament.
However, there is one thing that makes Zhang Fengyi feel helpless and regretful - that is, Ms. Huo Fan's strong resistance to having children, and she resolutely does not want to have children.
As a person who is deeply influenced by traditional concepts, Zhang Fengyi naturally longs to have children to continue the family bloodline. He tried to communicate this issue with Huo Fan many times, and even sought the help of his family to persuade him, but he failed to change Huo Fan's decision.
As time went on, the two grew older, and the possibility of having children became more and more remote. However, Ms. Huo Fan's persistent pursuit of maintaining a slim figure still makes Zhang Fengyi difficult to let go.
Sometimes, when he sees the children of other families playing, a deep sense of loss and loneliness wells up in his heart.
On the other hand, Mr. Zhang Fengyi's love for his profession has reached the point of forgetting to sleep and eat, and fitness has been deeply integrated into his daily life. In order to maintain his excellent body, he is always strict and disciplined, and even spends a lot of time going to the gym alone and exercising until the dead of night.
However, such behavior made Ms. Huo Fan dissatisfied. She longed for more love and companionship from her husband than to see him immersed in the gym all day. However, Mr. Zhang Fengyi has entered the later stage of his life, and fitness has become an indispensable part of his life, and he has not been able to change this habit.
As a result, the couple often got into arguments over the matter. As she grew older, Ms. Huo Fan felt more and more lonely and boring in life, while Mr. Zhang Fengyi still stuck to his beliefs and indulged in the world of fitness.
This situation has made the contradictions between them increasingly aggravated.
Now, this couple, who have entered the age of sixties, has lost the laughter and laughter of their children in their lives, and the conflicts of the past are constantly repeated. In the face of a monotonous and boring life, Mr. Zhang Fengyi and Ms. Huo Fan are often speechless to each other, and it is difficult to hide the loss and loneliness in their hearts.