Chapter 113: Brief Separation, Slang
On New Year's Eve, Li Chen was woken up early in the morning by Li Chen's mother's loud voice, unable to sleep anymore.
The reason was that Li Chen's mother had received a call from a delivery person.
The delivery person asked Li Chen's mother for her name.
Li Chen's mother: Zhao Wenhui.
Delivery person: Which 'Wen'? Which 'Hui'?
Li Chen's mother: Which 'Wen'? The 'Wen' from 'no culture'!
Li Chen had lost all his sleepiness.
You win, Mom!
You successfully woke up my ears. Can't I just not sleep anymore?!
Li Chen's mother, who only had an elementary school education, seemed afraid that people wouldn't know she only went to elementary school; he had never seen anyone introduce themselves like that.
Li Chen's father was also amused.
Seeing his son get up, Li Chen's mother repeated, "Little rascal, you promised to tell me which girl is your girlfriend today."
Li Chen was truly exasperated with Li Chen's mother; she had been nagging him like a 'tightening-hoop spell' every day for the past few days.
"Don't worry, I'll let you meet her in person in a bit!"
"In person? Is the girl coming to our house? Then I'll prepare more dishes!"
"No need, you can see her in person even if she doesn't come home," Li Chen replied, getting up to wash.
Li Chen's mother realized that the rascal must be talking about a QQ video call.
Sure enough, when Liu Yifei's cute face appeared on the computer screen, waving and greeting Li Chen's mother.
Li Chen's mother glanced at her son as if she had already expected it.
"Hello, Auntie, I'm Liu Yifei, yes, I'm Li Chen's girlfriend," Miss Liu sat in front of the computer, sitting primly as if taking an exam.
"Hello, hello. I've seen your the story of a noble family."
"Really, Auntie? If you like it, I'll send you an original DVD of the story of a noble family."
"Alright. Has Li Chen been bullying you? If he has, tell Auntie, and Auntie will deal with him for you!"
"Alright, Mom, that's enough. You should rest!"
Me bullying her? It's good enough if she doesn't bully your son.
Liu Yifei covered her mouth and chuckled, "No, Auntie, Li Chen treats me very well."
"Good, good, good. I'm leaving. I won't disturb you young people talking. Yifei, say hello to your mother for me," Li Chen's mother said another sentence before leaving Li Chen's bedroom.
"Why did you kick Auntie out? I wasn't finished talking!"
"You'll have plenty of opportunities to talk later. When you meet, you two can talk slowly!" Li Chen said with a smile.
"Happy New Year, Xixi. Tell Auntie the same for me."
"Hand over the red packet!" Miss Liu said with a smile, extending her hand.
After ending the video call with Miss Liu, Li Chen checked the box office for lost in thailand, which had already surpassed 100 million.
Breaking 100 million in five days, Xu Zheng had completely risen to fame.
Of course, it wasn't just Xu Zheng who became popular; Wang Baoqiang and Huang Bo also soared.
Yesterday, both of them had called him to wish him a Happy New Year.
An online report about Xiao Yanzi was a bit jarring.
At the end of last month, Xiao Yanzi and Huang Xiaoming's cultural scores for their graduate entrance exams were reportedly up to par.
They were just waiting for the professional subject exam next month.
Xiao Yanzi seemed to be targeting Tian Zhuangzhuang.
It was damn annoying. Should he use some means to mess this up?
Some media outlets had already contacted Teacher Tian.
Reporters directly asked Teacher Tian if he hoped and was willing for Xiao Yanzi to become his student.
Teacher Tian's answer was ambiguous: "She can not only study directing, but also learn more aspects of knowledge."
This made Li Chen suspect whether Teacher Tian also didn't want Xiao Yanzi to be his student.
If so, it would be easy to handle.
This year, Teacher Tian's quota for graduate students was 5, and many people, hearing that Xiao Yanzi was applying, gave up due to the difficulty.
He should still make a call to ask.
Before returning to Sanxia, Li Chen had already paid an early New Year visit to Tian Zhuangzhuang.
Tian Zhuangzhuang had also told him about the targeted commissioned training, which the school was already considering.
"Teacher, I saw the reporter's interview. Are you unwilling to accept that swallow?"
"Hmm, indeed. Of these people, how many are truly here to study?"
"Well, if that's the case, Teacher, you can just find a reason to decline. This swallow isn't just capable of flying."
Li Chen's words had a hidden meaning, and he believed Tian Zhuangzhuang could understand his implied message.
Tian Zhuangzhuang, of course, understood. Human relations and passing the buck, if it had been when he was young, he would have flat-out refused.
Tian Zhuangzhuang pondered for a moment before saying, "You're right. Perhaps as one gets older, one thinks too much, losing the decisiveness I had in my youth."
After hanging up, Li Chen called Yang Siwei again, just to be doubly sure.
He didn't want Yang Siwei to spread rumors, just to interpret Teacher Tian's reply to the reporter's words normally.
Li Chen believed that Xiao Yanzi would definitely see it.
People value their reputation, and trees their bark. If she still brazenly came forward then, he would let Teacher Tian reject her personally.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Li Chen had Yang Siwei release the audition list for the thieves.
Andy Lau, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Liu Jialing, Deng Chao, Nie Yuan, Wang Qianyuan, and others.
For the female lead audition, Liu Yifei, Shu Chang, and Yang Mi were on the list.
At the same time, the Oscar nominations were finally unveiled.
Li An's brokeback mountain led with eight nominations, while all other Chinese-language films were wiped out.
This result was actually known to everyone in the domestic film industry when the Golden Globe Award was announced.
However, Zhang Ziyi's narrow loss to Charlize Theron in the voting was quite regrettable.
It's worth mentioning Gong Li, who had previously won Best Supporting Actress at the National Board of Review of America for her outstanding performance in memoirs of a geisha.
Because of this, there was once a high call for her to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
As for The Promise and perhaps love being eliminated from the Best Foreign Language Film nominations, it was no longer surprising.
At this point, the two Director Chens, who had made many grand declarations before heading to the Oscars, were completely silenced.
Even Han Sanping was silent.
Reporters couldn't reach Chen Kaige and his wife for a while, and when they called Han Sanping, the call went directly to voicemail.
Only Kim Sung-oh was still stubbornly defiant.
The internet not only has memory, but netizens also hold grudges.
At that time, perhaps love sparked a war of words between netizens in mainland China and Hong Kong.
Although the Hong Kong netizens were utterly defeated at the time, it didn't stop this wave of mainland netizens from continuing to rub salt in the wound of perhaps love.
"Weren't you confident about winning a little golden man? Didn't you say The Promise wasn't good? At least The Promise was nominated for a Golden Globe Award."
"Is perhaps love good? With less than 20 million at the box office, it didn't even touch the Golden Globes or the Oscars!"
"If painted skin had gone, it wouldn't have lost so badly."
In Rongchen Film and Television's QQ group chat.
Yang Siwei: "Sister Xun, luckily you let the boss sign you. Otherwise, if you lost the bet, the boss would make you act without pay, and you couldn't say anything. That was a close call!"
Tang Yan: "It's so hard to see the boss lose once, Sister Xun!"
Yang Mi: "Huh? When was this? What bet did Sister Xun make with Senior?"
Zhu Yawen: "...I would never bet with Director Li. If I lost, I couldn't afford it! If I won, I wouldn't dare to ask the boss for money!"
Zhou Xun: "Xiao Zhu is right. From now on, I'm quitting gambling when it comes to Director Li!"
"new shanghai bund starts filming on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. Huang Xiaoming and Sun Li are full of confidence."
For some reason, Li Chen wanted to laugh every time he saw this news.
The comparison between Huang Xiaoming and Sun Li's umbrella-in-the-rain photo and Chow Yun-fat's version was a critical hit of ten thousand points.
One was completely acting like an overbearing CEO, Feng Chengcheng was drenched like a drowned rat, and Huang Xiaoming was still showing off.
The director was also a talent; Sun Li was indeed dedicated!
Looking at Chow Yun-fat's version of Xu Wenqiang, the pampering in his eyes was directly reflected in the subtle details of holding the umbrella.
After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Li Chen returned to Beijing.
Miss Liu came to pick him up at the airport.
As the saying goes, a brief separation makes the heart grow fonder.
As soon as they arrived home, the two kissed passionately, from the doorway to the sofa, then from the sofa to the stairs, all the way upstairs.
The two were like they were glued together with super glue.
One by one, clothes slipped off, and Miss Liu's fair and well-proportioned body exuded an alluring glow.
Li Chen didn't want to be gentle; he only wanted to possess her forcefully!
"Did you, en, miss me?" Miss Liu's cherry lips parted slightly, her words broken and dreamlike.
"Yes!"
"How, how did you miss... me? Mmm, mmm..."
Li Chen didn't waste any more words, using action to interpret how he missed her.
After the storm, Miss Liu clung to Li Chen, enjoying the tranquility after the passion.
Li Chen held her buttocks with one hand and wrapped the other around her chest.
Miss Liu's beautiful hair rested against Li Chen's chin.
After a long while, Li Chen finally said, "Xixi?"
"Hmm?"
"It seems to have gotten much bigger here."
Miss Liu's face was flushed, ready to drip. She kicked Li Chen under the covers, then pinched his waist hard, making Li Chen gasp.
Not satisfied yet, she turned around, shook off Li Chen's 'devil's claw', bit Li Chen's shoulder hard, and then hugged him tightly.
After an hour, Miss Liu finally covered her chest and went into the bathroom.
After freshening up, the two went together to see Liu Xiaoli and have dinner.
As soon as Liu Xiaoli saw her daughter's dewy complexion, she guessed what the two had just done.
Her eyes, like knives, sliced across Li Chen's face.
Miss Liu chuckled secretly, while Li Chen pretended not to see, smiling and saying, "Auntie, Happy New Year."
Liu's Mother drew out her tone, "Happy!"
After dinner, after Li Chen left, Liu's Mother grabbed her daughter's ear.
"Gently, Mom, it hurts!" Liu Yifei cried out.
"I wonder if your ears are deaf. My words don't work anymore," Liu's Mother said angrily.
She had told her daughter countless times that intimacy should not be unrestrained. What if she got pregnant at a young age?
After all, she had only known Li Chen for three years, and they weren't together every day.
Waiting and observing would help one truly understand a person.
But her daughter had just plunged in, just like she herself had when she was young.
Was this fate?
"We used protection," Liu Yifei mumbled.
However, under Liu's Mother's stern gaze, the rest of her words were swallowed.
Liu Yifei knew her mother's painstaking efforts, fearing that she would follow in her footsteps.
But she truly felt that Li Chen and her biological father were not the same kind of person.
And she felt that Li Chen loved her more than she loved him.
No matter what it was, as long as she liked it, he was never reluctant.
Although Tang Yan and Yang Mi from Li Chen's company were not as beautiful as her, they were not ugly either.
Siwei told her that Li Chen had never been ambiguous with either of them, not even once.
If she didn't seize the opportunity, there would be plenty of shameless women clinging to him.
Of course, Siwei told her this, but she felt that Siwei was right.
At the Premiere of painted skin, that Bingbing gave her that feeling.
She didn't want to regret, nor did she want to have regrets in the future. Since she liked him, she didn't want to hold back.
"The new version of dream of the red chamber, with an investment of 100 million, will be fully launched in March. Casting will span across Asia, and Chen Kaige finds it difficult to be the director."
Director Chen was truly miserable; since the Premiere of The Promise, he had been in deep trouble.
This record-breaking investment of 100 million for dream of the red chamber was a first in television drama history.
Major entertainment agencies in the industry had all turned their attention to dream of the red chamber.
Everyone knew that as long as a TV series based on one of the Four Great Classical Novels was well-made, it would make stars famous!
Moreover, dream of the red chamber was an ensemble drama, and the twelve beauties of Jinling all had significant roles.
The Q group was lively again.
"Siwei, for that dream of the red chamber, do Mi Mi, Xiao Tang, and Brother Xun have a part? Actually, I could also try out for Jia Baoyu!"
"Get out of here, Xiao Zhu! If you play Jia Baoyu, the director will be criticized for a lifetime!"
"I don't think I can play Lin Daiyu, but I can play Wang Xifeng."
"Siwei, what did the boss say?"
"You all can forget about it. I just asked the boss, and we are not participating in dream of the red chamber. According to the boss, there's an 80% chance this drama will be a bad one."
"No way? An investment of 100 million! The 1987 version was also criticized when it first came out, but time gives the answer. Now, who doesn't say the 1987 version is a classic?"
"I'm warning you all, if anyone breaks the rules privately, there will be no mercy. Our company is not Starlight, and don't you dare learn from that Star Girl!"
Yang Siwei gave her artists a stern warning: don't think that just because you have a good relationship with the boss, you can forget who you are.
A dream of the red chamber stirred the hearts of countless people, even Liu's Mother was tempted.
"Auntie, please save your breath. With Xixi's demeanor, would you let her play Lin Daiyu or Xue Baochai?"
"Moreover, this kind of drama is very demanding and has a long production cycle. Look at the few female leads from the 1987 version of dream of the red chamber; how many of them are doing well now?"
Liu's Mother was startled; she hadn't considered that point.
Li Chen really admired Liu's Mother's thinking; she just came up with ideas on a whim.
A dream of the red chamber actually made Liu's Mother forget her original intention of entering the big screen.
"What do you mean, 'my demeanor'? What kind of demeanor? Why can't I play it?" Miss Liu was displeased.
Li Chen laughed, "Lin Daiyu is like a delicate flower reflected in water, sickly. Look at you, wielding swords like a female knight. You'd be good as You Sanjie!"
Actually, there was another real reason, which was that Miss Liu currently had no acting skills to speak of.
The dream of the red chamber crew wouldn't choose her, and even if they did, the role they gave her wouldn't be a lead.
Liu's Mother was also amused by Li Chen: "Li Chen is right, Xixi can't play Lin Daiyu."
Seeing Miss Liu still pouting, Li Chen gently comforted her: "Alright, don't be angry."
"Classics are not that easy to film; you'll understand later."
Miss Liu was very smart: "You mean?"
Li Chen smiled: "That's what I mean."
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