Why do professional photographers take better pictures? Why is it that even a moderately talented photographer, once they've mastered a few essential techniques, can produce shots far more flattering than the average person?
The core reason is simple: good photos follow rules. There are standardized tricks—composition techniques when photographing people, ideal distances, how to enhance proportions, how to find the best angles… all of it requires careful planning and calculation.
Naturally, the photographer invited to Laila and Roy's wedding was among the best in the industry. With high-level equipment, precise technique, and top-tier retouching, the results were leagues beyond ordinary wedding photos.
People were already highly interested in Laila and Roy's wedding. Even the casual shots taken by guests were getting plenty of attention—so when Laila uploaded those high-quality, stunningly beautiful photos to Facebook, her profile instantly exploded.
Comments flooded in with endless praise:
— "Absolutely gorgeous!"
— "Visuals off the charts!"
— "A perfect match!"
The reactions nearly brought Facebook's servers to their knees.
Even people who weren't fans were impressed by the artistic quality of the images, calling them frame-worthy and museum-level. Many friends from the industry even called Laila, asking who the photographer was—they wanted to book a session for themselves.
Reading through the flood of compliments, Laila couldn't have been happier.
Who doesn't love being praised? And it wasn't just her being showered with love—Roy was practically being worshipped too.
In the photos, Roy wore traditional Chinese groom attire. To Laila's eyes—shaped by her authentic Eastern aesthetic—there were a few minor mismatches. But in the eyes of Western audiences, he exuded a sense of mysterious Oriental charm, a strong ethnic allure, and exotic appeal.
Whether they were complimenting her or him, Laila took it all as praise for herself. Roy was her husband, and as husband and wife, they were one. His glory was hers, and she basked in it.
What she didn't expect, however, was that these traditional-style wedding photos would quickly make their way to the East—and go viral.
Fans across Asia were thrilled to see their beloved director and a Hollywood megastar holding a traditional Chinese wedding.
In fact, in the East, even a Westerner who can only say "Ni Hao" often earns applause for their "fluent Chinese." So, for Laila and Roy to actually hold a Chinese ceremony? That was next level.
As a result, those who already had a favorable impression of Laila now found themselves liking her even more.
When Laila learned that the photos were trending in the East, she instantly seized the opportunity to push Silent's marketing campaign forward.
Initially, to avoid stepping on the Avengers' record-breaking run, Silent's promotions had been kept on hold until recently. Now, with the buzz around Avengers still strong and the wedding photos breaking the internet, Laila saw the perfect window for a major publicity push.
So she shamelessly posted a single sentence on her Facebook page—alongside a brand-new poster for Silent.
"Roy looks amazing in the wedding photos… but I think he looks even better in the movie."
The poster she posted hadn't been released during the initial promotions. It was originally intended to accompany the final trailer, but clearly, now was the better time. She did not attempt to hide that this was a promotional post.
In the poster, Roy appeared disheveled and rugged—but not in a way that diminished his sex appeal. In fact, the added wildness gave him a magnetic, untamed edge.
He stood at the edge of a forest stream, holding a makeshift weapon, eyes scanning the surroundings as if on high alert.
Beside him, Leslie Cheung was bent down drinking water from the stream.
Roy's look alone was enough to leave viewers breathless—but unexpectedly, Leslie Cheung also stole a lot of the spotlight.
While drinking, the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing his sculpted collarbone.
Despite the scene being about survival in the wilderness, his simple action created a moment of serene, timeless beauty.
Fans had already known from the first teaser that Silent was an adventure-action film. The few scenes revealed suggested the two leads had crash-landed or become stranded in a dense jungle—no civilization, only wild beasts, snakes, insects, and danger at every turn.
The trailer didn't show the creatures explicitly, but the background audio hinted at their presence through distant growls and roars.
Laila's films had always been fan favorites, and her trailers were known for being artfully crafted. Each release would spark deep-dive analyses and breakdowns across the internet.
Some fans even went frame by frame, discovering details that even Laila herself found impressive.
For example, after the first teaser, someone noticed a specific insect on a tree behind the lead characters—and deduced that the location wasn't in the U.S. or Asia, but more likely a tropical island.
Others analyzed birdcalls, sun angles, and background flora to determine everything from time of day to possible filming locations.
Laila was genuinely amazed by their detective work.
She herself could never identify a filming location or timeline from something like a tiny flower blooming in moss on a rock—but her fans apparently could.
Thanks to the poster, Leslie Cheung blew up overnight. He went viral not only in the U.S. but across the East.
In America, people were captivated by his aura.
There was something about him that felt… still. As if time itself paused in his presence.
He exuded calm, mystery, and an intangible grace that made people want to keep looking.
But in Asia, the effect of the poster was like a multi-megaton TNT explosion.
Leslie Cheung was already a household name throughout the continent, and now he was starring as the male lead in a Hollywood blockbuster directed by Laila.
That alone catapulted him to the top of the industry, with many saying he was poised to become Asia's number-one star.
A great singer, a phenomenal actor, and now hand-picked by a top Hollywood director—if this were a novel, he'd be the ultimate "wish-fulfillment" protagonist.
With just one poster, he'd become insanely popular across the globe. And the best part? He didn't even need his manager, Chen Shufen, to do any promo.
He was already everywhere.
Of course, there were still others in Asia with comparable fame. To truly cement his status as the top star, he'd need to go even further—like winning major international awards with this film.
And if things kept going the way they were… he just might.