The online discussion continued to build in intensity. Whether on major domestic social platforms or in overseas Chinese communities, it had become a grand carnival.
For a time, the topic's popularity had even overshadowed that morning's military parade.
As the man behind the scenes of the celebration, Liu Wei looked at the Weibo post he had made an hour ago about the event's backstage work, as well as the comment count that had already broken four digits. A smug smile crept onto his lips.
It felt as though he stood at the pinnacle of his life.
Though he had filmed quite a few action blockbusters in the past, many of them both critically acclaimed and box-office hits, he himself had never been this famous.
At the very least, he had never been more popular than the stars he had directed.
After leaving the remaining work to his assistant and deputy director, it was already midnight when he stepped out of the stadium. Behind him, waves of jubilant cheers still rose from the venue from time to time.
Liu Wei smiled, took out his phone again, flipped through his contacts, and made several calls.
After calling a few of his buddies out of their homes, the group wandered along the deserted streets for quite a while before finally finding a barbecue stall that had not yet closed.
Once several bottles of beer were opened and the skewers were laid out, Liu Wei inhaled the fragrance of cumin and beer foam and felt the exhaustion that had accumulated over months wash away in an instant.
The television hanging in the corner of the barbecue stall happened to be broadcasting CCTV's live coverage of the celebration.
The broadcast had been pieced together from multiple camera angles. Though it had been carefully edited, it