Chapter 118 You Don't Have Female Classmates
The fearless crew in Tianjin has entered its final stages.
Li Chen's visit prompted Ning Hao to joke that fearless could finally piggyback on Director Li's popularity.
Riding on Li Chen's coattails, Ning Hao opened up the set to media visits for the first time.
While reporters were gathering material and interviewing the main actors on set, Ning Hao, Li Chen, and Xing Ai'na sat together chatting.
“I told my wife that your arrival alone is worth more than spending hundreds of thousands on PR. See, wasn't I right?”
Ning Hao pointed at the 'admiring' reporters and laughed.
After more than half a year, Ning Hao's face had grown even fleshier.
Compared to his malnourished appearance when they first met last year, he had reverted to the template of a social big shot.
Thinking about it, the two were quite similar.
At that time, Ning Hao also went to Berlin, but only dozens of people came to see green grassland.
Ning Hao was truly down and out back then.
“You're smiling so smugly, I can't help but feel you're a bit schadenfreude!”
“Am I? I'm just feeling sorry for you. buried came away with nothing, but at least it was nominated for the main competition, unlike me last year.”
“Oh, please, feeling sorry for me! Sister Xing, how did Ning Hao change so much after a trip to Hong Kong?”
“Don't mind him, Director Li, he's just getting carried away. You were still prescient to have contacted the descendants of ip man in advance.”
On this point, Xing Ai'na and Ning Hao greatly admired Li Chen's foresight.
Yesterday, the descendants of Huo family sued the production company of fearless.
They are about to face off against kung fu superstar Li Lianjie in court, immediately making headlines.
This served as a wake-up call for filmmakers who would make biographical films in the future.
It was all because the fearless script was carelessly changed, portraying Huo Yuanjia as a person who had no descendants.
As a result, CCTV reporters visited the Huo family descendants, asking them to provide evidence that they were indeed Huo family members.
This immediately infuriated the Huo family descendants.
Damn it, our ancestors have lived here for generations, and now we have to provide evidence to prove we're not imposters.
Is there any justice or shame left?
For so many years, the production companies that made Huo Yuanjia films and TV series never contacted the Huo family descendants.
The Huo family descendants didn't care either, because in the films and TV shows, Huo Yuanjia was always depicted as a great hero who loved his country and people, and there was no particular focus on his descendants.
But this particular fearless film by Li Lianjie insisted on fabricating a “massacre” story.
And it made the Huo family's descendants look like imposters in the eyes of others. Who could tolerate that?
fearless's box office stalled at 70 million and couldn't move further.
Meanwhile, lost in thailand surged ahead, with its box office breaking 260 million.
It seemed unlikely to break painted skin's box office record.
But it had already surpassed Zhang Yimou's Hero, which was quite astonishing.
Xu Zheng also went from being an unknown to becoming the third member of the domestic 200 million box office club.
This leap was like a fish leaping over the dragon gate, marking a qualitative transformation for Xu Zheng.
Wang Changtian discussed with Li Chen about holding a celebration banquet for Xu Zheng.
Because lost in thailand's performance was so outstanding, it caught Wang Changtian by surprise.
Everyone knew lost in thailand would likely exceed 100 million, but no one expected it to surpass Hero.
The moviegoers provided the answer: wasn't the Spring Festival just perfect for this kind of joyful, constantly humorous family comedy?
Li Chen, however, was not as surprised as others in the industry. If it weren't for the rampant piracy at the moment,
lost in thailand could have even broken 300 million.
With the current number of over three thousand screens nationwide, it was only about one-fifth of the screens available when lost in thailand was released in later years.
That year, lost in thailand even surpassed the 3D titanic, winning the box office championship with 1.26 billion.
Li Chen didn't stay long in Tianjin. He finally understood why Ning Hao looked so 'radiant'.
It turned out that Ning Hao and his wife hadn't been idle for over a year.
Ning Hao was busy with fearless, and Xing Ai'na also produced a script, crazy racer!
The couple received confirmation from Li Chen.
With the funding secured, the couple's hearts were completely at ease.
Li Chen returned to Beijing the next day; Han Sanping had already called him several times.
Rongchen Film and Television's counterattack against Song Da Zui made Song Da Zui's resentment towards Li Chen so deep that all the water in the Five Lakes and Four Seas could not wash it away.
He continued to bite even more furiously, saying that Rongchen Film and Television was merely seeking fame.
He latched onto Liu Yifei, first, because of Li Chen's ulterior motives.
Secondly, it was for the promotion of those years.
He even dragged all the CP (couple) pairings out and criticized them one by one.
Nicholas Tse and Cecilia Cheung from Hong Kong were also dragged out and paraded around by this fellow.
But no matter how hard he tried, Rongchen Film and Television no longer responded to questions related to Song Da Zui.
The media had long lost interest in Song Da Zui.
At such a time, no one paid him any attention.
Song Da Zui was so angry that he suffered internal injuries. People say a cornered dog will jump over a wall, but no one could predict what 'famous' stunt Song Da Zui's brain would pull next.
Although Yang Zi also liked to hype things up, his methods were much more sophisticated than Song Da Zui's.
Things like the first extended Hummer in mainland China, a 4.6-billion-year-old emerald ring — at least they were presentable, weren't they?
In a detached villa in Beijing, a man and a woman had just emerged from an embrace.
The man, holding his girlfriend, leaned against the headboard, swirling a glass of red wine.
“I really shouldn't have paid attention to that guy back then. Now he's like a patch of ringworm, impossible to shake off, just disgusting.”
The woman remained silent, because she and he had a kissing scene in that movie, Heaven, and she was afraid the man beside her would mind.
She really shouldn't have agreed to that person for the sake of the salary back then. Now, Heaven is facing a hellish box office.
It had completely become an indelible stain on her acting career.
“Don't ever mention that movie you did with him again. I'll find a way to eliminate its influence, at least to keep it out of your records.”
The woman, as docile as a Persian cat, gently nodded and hummed, rubbing, rubbing, and rubbing against the man in a fawning manner.
The man, receiving the invitation, put down his red wine glass and was ready for another round.
If one were to talk about who envied and was jealous of Liu Yifei, her classmate Jiang Yiyan would definitely be among them.
She had seen the news about Liu Yifei being rumored to be transgender and was just about to munch on melon seeds and watch a good show.
However, Rongchen Film and Television acted with lightning speed, quickly clearing the battlefield.
Today, Liu Yifei came to school and brought small gifts for all her classmates.
They were all bought by her and Tang Yan in Berlin.
Jiang Yiyan naturally received one as well. In the dorm room, only Jiang Yiyan was present.
It was their senior year, and few people stayed at school; everyone was busy looking for film crews.
Jiang Yiyan was also going to promote her new drama, Wrong Love, with the crew in a couple of days.
Liu Yifei was also going to promote The Return of the Condor Heroes.
Jiang Yiyan pulled Liu Yifei to sit intimately on her bed and laughed, “Come on, tell your big sister, is Director Li good to you?”
Liu Yifei was slightly surprised, not expecting her to be so direct. The two of them didn't seem as close as she and her best friend Shu Chang, who would talk about anything.
Although slightly surprised, Liu Yifei's smile remained unchanged: “Director Li is quite good to me, not as strict as other directors.”
Jiang Yiyan was taken aback, not expecting Liu Yifei to have learned to play tai chi, deflecting her question with ease, like hitting cotton.
Not getting the answer she wanted, Jiang Yiyan didn't get discouraged and continued to probe.
“You're still hiding things from me. Everyone outside is saying you and Director Li are together. Actually, I could tell last time we met at school.”
As Jiang Yiyan spoke, her eyes darted around and she noticed the Breguet white diamond watch on Liu Yifei's wrist.
She couldn't help but lift Liu Yifei's wrist and exclaimed, “It's so beautiful! Director Li gave it to you, right?”
Liu Yifei felt a bit annoyed. Since she saw through it, why ask? However, her good upbringing still made her hold back.
She just nodded gently: “He gave it to me for my birthday last year, saying it was for my those years salary.”
Liu Yifei's ambiguous answer made Jiang Yiyan a bit impatient.
She felt that Liu Yifei had grown a lot over the past year, at least no longer an innocent little girl.
She was four years older than Liu Yifei. When she first met her, she was just a little girl, very polite to everyone, and seemed easy to talk to.
But today's Liu Yifei seemed to have undergone a baptism of holy light, shedding her girlish innocence, becoming more cunning, and knowing how to be cautious.
Her two sentences were as good as unsaid; she neither admitted nor denied anything.
Just as Jiang Yiyan was about to continue asking, Liu Yifei's phone rang, displaying “Director Li” as the caller ID.
Jiang Yiyan winked and smiled, “Go ahead and answer. Do you need me to step out?”
Liu Yifei, however, directly said, “No need. He's probably calling about the promotion and roadshow for those years. I should be going too. I'll come play with you when I have time.”
Jiang Yiyan was surprised: “So fast? I haven't even finished talking yet!”
Liu Yifei had already gotten up and was walking out: “I can't help it, Director Li has a bad temper, I wouldn't dare make him wait for me.”
Liu Yifei left in a hurry, leaving Jiang Yiyan greatly disappointed. She hadn't extracted the answers she wanted, nor had she made the requests she intended to!
Jiang Yiyan was left alone in the dorm. Bored, she specifically looked up the price of that Breguet watch.
Upon checking, she was stunned on the spot!
This, this 'salary' was too high!
Or was it not a salary at all?
“Your call came at just the right time.” Liu Yifei had intended to look for Yang Mi, but as soon as Li Chen called, she completely forgot about Yang Mi.
She got into her car and drove away from the school, soon arriving at Li Chen's villa.
Li Chen sat alone on the spacious living room sofa, sipping tea and talking on the phone with Han Sanping.
Liu Yifei sat opposite Li Chen, flipping through a magazine, not deliberately eavesdropping, but she still heard the gist of the conversation.
It was nothing more than asking Li Chen about his upcoming plans.
The high box office of lost in thailand made Han Sanping incredibly annoyed.
If he had known the outcome, he would have gotten involved somehow.
Then he wouldn't be in such an awkward position within the group now.
Although Li Chen's several works had brought high profits, which shielded him from most of the attacks.
But The Promise, as a China Film Group Corporation main investment, was also strongly supported by him.
When it was nominated for the Oscars, he was the one who, against all internal opposition, vouched for The Promise within the group.
As a result, it failed at the Oscars, its domestic box office was dismal, and its overseas box office was even worse. The North American release was also delayed until April or May.
He no longer held any hope.
China Film Group Corporation became a laughingstock. Every time the General Administration held a meeting, Yang Dong would be teased a few times, so Han Sanping's situation was imaginable.
All of this indicated one thing: his judgment was terrible.
You treated The Promise as a treasure, but it turned out to be nothing but grass.
As a leader, the worst fear is not being able to recognize talent.
Even Li Chen was half-snatched away from Han Sanping by Shanghai Film Group.
A sentiment began to circulate within the group: could he truly steer China Film Group Corporation?
That's why Han Sanping called Li Chen repeatedly, asking when he would return.
Han Sanping didn't elaborate on the phone, only asking Li Chen to come to his office for 'personal instructions'.
After hanging up, neither of them mentioned Han Sanping or Song Da Zui.
“Did you go to school?” Li Chen asked casually.
“Yes, I gave the small gifts I bought in Berlin to my classmates, but most of them weren't at school. Only Yanyan happened to be there.”
“Jiang Yiyan?”
“Yes. Why do I feel like you don't like her very much?” Miss Liu sat next to Li Chen and smiled.
This was her intuition; Li Chen never hid his likes or dislikes for a person in front of her.
She had also sensed it that time in Hengdian World Studios when she first met Changchang's cousin.
“Is that so? Is it that obvious?” Li Chen laughed.
“So I guessed right? But you don't seem very familiar with her.” Miss Liu leaned closer, looking suspicious.
“Yes, indeed, not familiar. Let me put it this way, I really don't like her. I only like you.”
Miss Liu's smile was radiant. She proactively wrapped her arms around Li Chen's neck, drawing even closer.
“Since we're talking about it today, let me say a few more words to bring you, Fairy Sister, down to earth.”
“Hmph! How am I not down to earth? If I weren't down to earth, I wouldn't have fallen for a commoner like you!” Miss Liu bristled, pushing Li Chen away.
“Alright, alright, you're the most down to earth. I was wrong, okay? My fans say I'm a commoner, you didn't instigate that, did you?”
“No way! Don't change the subject, keep talking.” Miss Liu hooked her arm through Li Chen's, saying fiercely.
“Hmm, actually, it's just one sentence, just remember it: In film school, you don't have female classmates!”
“Don't pour your heart out to them. Your starting point is too high, so high that they can't even dream of reaching it. They won't treat you as a classmate either!”
Miss Liu looked at Li Chen in surprise, as if she was seeing him for the first time.
Li Chen pecked her little mouth like lightning.
“What? Did I scare you? I don't think I said anything scary, did I?” Li Chen laughed.
Miss Liu shook her head, frowning and smiling, “I'm just a little strange. You're clearly only a few years older than me, but sometimes when you talk, you always make me feel like you're a generation older.”
“Hahaha,” Li Chen burst out laughing.
“Then you can just call me Uncle Li from now on, and I'll call Auntie 'Sister'!”
“Get out of here!” Miss Liu cursed with a laugh.
After a while, Miss Liu said again, “You're right. Actually, I know it myself, they've never treated me as a classmate. Of course, this also has a lot to do with me.”
“I was young and didn't often go back to school. Today, when I met Yanyan, her first question was, 'Is he good to you?'”
“If Changchang had asked that, I would have answered without even thinking. But when she asked, I wasn't happy.”
Li Chen proactively pulled Miss Liu into his arms, his voice deep and firm: “You don't need them, and you don't need to care about them. I will always be by your side!”
“Mm!”
These past two days have been busy, so updates are irregular. Sorry.