Chapter 10: An Unexpected Gift
Liu Yifei had few friends in her class; Zhu Yawen was one, and Luo Jin was half of one.
It wasn't that she was aloof.
It was just that she didn't often go to school and didn't interact much with her classmates.
Plus, she had an innate fairy-like aura that kept people at a distance, so only Zhu Yawen, with his thick skin, dared to approach her among the boys.
Girls, on the other hand, felt more jealousy than envy towards Liu Yifei's resources and achievements, so it was naturally impossible for them to become close.
Zhu Yawen quickly took out his gift: "Happy birthday, Xixi."
"Thank you."
Luo Jin followed closely: "Happy birthday, Yifei."
"Thank you, please come in and sit."
Inside the living room, Shu Chang was also there.
Zhu Yawen, being familiar, said: "When is your Secret History of Xiaozhuang coming out? I'm waiting to see your Consort Dong E."
"It's still a long way off, you'll have to wait."
Liu Yifei smiled and said: "Let me introduce you, this is my best friend, Shu Chang. She started as a child star and is a seasoned actress, haha."
"And this is my classmate, Luo Jin, Jin Ge."
Luo Jin and Shu Chang shook hands, considering themselves acquainted.
Zhu Yawen then pulled out another gift from his bag.
"Oh, right, Director Li asked me to bring this."
A gift box the size of a book was handed to Liu Yifei.
Liu Yifei's lips curved slightly.
Liu Xiaoli happened to come down from the second floor and saw this scene.
Liu Yifei, as if by a strange impulse, glanced at her mother, feeling a bit guilty deep down.
Liu Xiaoli walked over and said gently: "Xiao Zhu, is that Director Li Chen, the one you had dinner with that night?"
Liu Yifei's heart stirred slightly: "Mom, that's him."
Liu Xiaoli nodded slightly: "Aren't you going to open it, Xixi?"
Shu Chang also stood beside her best friend curiously, saying impatiently: "Hurry up and open it! If you don't open it, I will. Give it to me."
With that, she deftly snatched it from Liu Yifei's hand.
Upon opening it, it was a book.
"those years, The Girl We Chased Together."
"Number one on Rongshuxia's online literature bestseller list in 2002."
"Author: Nuanyang Jiyue."
"It's a book, Xixi."
Shu Chang unconsciously read it aloud, then turned to the first page: "Wishing you a happy birthday. Li Chen. Your handwriting is really beautiful."
Liu Yifei's mind was a bit muddled at this point. She had never seen a birthday gift that was a book, and she didn't know what he meant by the title.
"Alright, give it back to me."
Liu Yifei took it back from Shu Chang's hand.
Liu Xiaoli also couldn't figure out if this student named Li Chen was trying to pursue her daughter.
In the evening.
Liu Yifei lay in bed and composed a text message, sending it out.
Li Chen in the dorm picked up his cell phone and saw: "What do you mean by sending me a book?"
Li Chen replied: "Read it first, then we'll talk. Get some rest. Girls get old easily if they stay up late."
Liu Yifei picked up her cell phone and saw it, immediately pouting in annoyance.
On September 1st, all the crew members of 'Stone' arrived in Shancheng.
The box office for lost in thailand had advanced by another ten million, and Li Chen estimated it would reach around forty-eight million by the time it finished its run.
"Haha, congratulations, Director Li, for bravely winning the 2003 box office championship," Huang Bo said with a laugh.
"No, please don't say that. What about infernal affairs 3 and cell phone, which are coming out in the second half of the year?"
"Director Li."
"Director Li."
The actors greeted Li Chen one by one.
"I expect this 'Stone' to take one and a half to two months to shoot, with post-production editing taking at most half a year, striving for a May Day release next year."
"I look forward to the wonderful performances of all my senior colleagues."
"Director Li, you're too kind."
"You can rest assured, Director Li. Right, 'Defector'?"
Li Chen nodded and smiled: "That's right, Old Huang, that 'Defector' is just right."
Filming 'Stone' wasn't difficult; it was just that post-production was a bit more troublesome than lost on journey.
First scene: Xie Xiaomeng flirting with a girl on the cable car.
"Action!"
"Heaven is too unfair to me. I cross the river by cable car every day, yet I've never seen you..."
Zhao Yanzi's 'Green Tea' barely reached 6 million at the box office before being taken off the shelves.
It was abandoned by the cinemas before even completing a month of public release.
Thanks to this, lost in thailand's box office in its final week rose instead of falling.
After thirty days of release, lost in thailand's box office finally settled at 49.56 million.
Li Chen calculated that after deducting special business tax and the film industry development special fund tax,
Li Chen received nearly 17 million yuan.
Han Dong called him, saying that several companies in Hong Kong couldn't reach Li Chen.
They found him, expressing great interest in the copyright of lost in thailand.
Six Princess and several local film channels also contacted him.
Li Chen considered for a moment and then replied to him.
"Han Dong, for the copyright of lost in thailand, just go with the price offered by Six Princess."
"As for the other companies, Han Dong, please make the decision for me. A little higher is better."
"Hmm, you're a smart kid. Alright, nothing else."
Li Chen returned after finishing the call, and Huang Bo held a newspaper, laughing.
"Director Li, look, the internet is saying you are incredibly talented and skilled."
"Oh, please, 'skilled'. Alright, next scene."
By the end of September, filming was halfway done. This scene was where Brother Dao learned he had the real jade and swapped out the fake one.
Unable to accept this fact, he violently beat Xie Xiaomeng.
"Action!"
Brother Dao, wearing a suit jacket, his eyes full of emotion, his face tense: "You really went all out to pick up girls, didn't you?"
The producer of Liu Yifei's may love was actually Tian Zhuangzhuang, a postgraduate supervisor in Beijing Film Academy's Director Department, and also the head of the Director Department.
Although Tian Zhuangzhuang endorsed it, this film could only be screened in Taiwan for certain reasons.
Lying in bed at night, Liu Yifei, with her hair in a bun, held that book, those years, and read it with great interest.
Although this book lacked ornate language, what was captivating was that it was a portrayal of every young person's adolescence.
Reading this book was like looking at her own reflection, with a strong sense of immersion.
Especially for Liu Yifei herself, the heroine's situation was extremely similar to hers in some aspects.
Both were the center of attention, but the difference was that the heroine received abundant goodwill, while she...
Liu Yifei picked up her cell phone and sent a QQ message: "The story is very good, thank you for the gift."
Mobile QQ was launched in the second half of 2003. Although it only allowed chatting, at least one no longer needed to log in to a computer to use QQ.
Shancheng.
Only the last two scenes of 'Stone' remained to be filmed; the rest was post-production editing.
His cell phone flashed. Li Chen picked it up and saw it was Liu Yifei.
This girl is so cute; she still hasn't realized that what he sent her wasn't just a book.
"If it's good, read it a few more times. My gift isn't just a book."
After a while.
"What do you mean?"
"Literal meaning."
"Speaking in riddles, I'm angry."
Li Chen shook his head, wondering what she was trying to do.
He didn't even know if he should reply; it felt like a couple flirting.
If Ms. Liu found out, she would probably have a heart-to-heart talk with him.
Liu Yifei waited for a long time, but the other party didn't reply again.
Annoyed, she wrinkled her delicate nose and let out a soft huff, then pulled the covers over her head and went to sleep.
