Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 477 All-Star Roster?
In the dark room, the volcano suddenly erupted, and the woman let out a long groan. The panting that had filled the room like water gradually subsided.

"Is the soundproofing in this hotel good? I hope no one heard us just now?" Liu Yifei quickly came to her senses and asked a little nervously.

That's the temperament of a capitalist heiress; she starts nitpicking over staying in a three-star hotel.

Chen Nuo said irritably, "They're all bricks and walls, what's wrong with that? Besides, Nazha lives next door, I know that girl, she sleeps very soundly."

Liu Yifei looked at him intently, "How do you know she's a heavy sleeper?"

Chen Nuo casually wiped the sweat from her chest and gave it a squeeze. "What do you think?"

Speaking of which, Liu Yifei's [something] is quite unique. It looks like a freshly peeled lotus seed, without any obvious bumps. Unless it undergoes some processing, it won't become like a soft but firm candy. Of course, it's not sweet, only has a faint milky aroma.

"Ouch!" Liu Yifei clutched her chest and punched him in the ribs. "You're so annoying!"

When that punch landed, Chen Nuo cried out as if he'd been shot, almost unable to catch his breath. He clutched his ribs in pain for a long while before finally saying, "Your broken hand hurts a lot when you hit someone. I've told you hundreds of times not to hit me, don't you understand?"

Liu Yifei snorted and said, "You tell me first, how do you know she sleeps very soundly?"

Chen Nuo said, "I'm not going to talk about it anymore, I'm going to take a shower."

"Oh dear." Liu Yifei grabbed his hand, looked at his face, and said, "Are you really angry?"

Chen Nuo snorted, "Yes."

Liu Yifei chuckled and said, "You're lying."

"Nonsense." Chen Nuo got up, put on his slippers, went to the bathroom, turned on the shower, and started rinsing.

Two seconds later, Liu Yifei also walked in naked, holding a rubber object between her index finger and thumb, examining it from head to toe. "Chen Nuo, is this normal? I feel like there's a little too little..."

"Damn it!" Chen Nuo snatched it away, threw it into the trash can, and glared at it, saying, "Are you crazy?"

Liu Yifei pursed her lips and said, "Why such a big reaction? Let's discuss it."

"I'm going to discuss your... ah!" Chen Nuo hadn't sworn in a long time, but he couldn't hold back any longer. "With that kind of spirit, how about we discuss acting skills instead?"

"Sigh, acting skills." Liu Yifei stood in front of the bathroom mirror, tilted her head left and right, made a few expressions, and said with dissatisfaction, "I felt that we were about the same at the beginning, but why does it feel like the gap is getting bigger and bigger now?"

Chen Nuo applied shower gel and chuckled as he rinsed off, saying, "There are many reasons for my declining skills, but the biggest reason is laziness."

"Lazy? Am I lazy? I think I'm fine. Apart from playing World of Warcraft and occasionally going out shopping or having a meal with Changchang, I'm usually working. It's just that you're in the US so you can't see it. I think it might be because I haven't chosen the right roles. The company said they'd choose roles for me after the New Year. How about you help me choose one?"

Chen Nuo said, "Not good. They haven't even explained what happened when they hit me."

Liu Yifei turned around and walked over with a smile, "Let me see if anything's wrong."

It must be said that although this woman's figure was less than ideal, her skin was indeed excellent. After getting wet, her skin was smooth and fair, with a shimmering glow. Especially since she had just had waxing done, most of her skin hadn't grown back yet, making her appear even more fair and flawless.

"It's fine, not red or swollen." Liu Yifei pretended to look at it, then her hand slid lower and lower. After a while, she looked up and smiled, "Okay, if you promise me, I'll help you..."

Chen Nuo hesitated for two seconds, then said without any backbone, "Okay."

Liu Yifei pinched his waist and then squatted down gracefully.

From Chen Nuo's perspective, he looked like a large, uneven gourd beside his legs. Water from the showerhead gushed down his body, occasionally splashing into Liu Yifei's mouth, making it impossible for her to open her eyes.

This reminded Chen Nuo of a scene he filmed when he suddenly sprayed water on a girl's face.

At that time, Liu Yifei's expression was almost exactly the same as it is now.

Thinking about it, he couldn't help himself... He suddenly pulled Liu Yifei up, and somewhat roughly lifted the woman's legs up, so that their bodies were pressed together again.

The sound of rushing water filled the air, and the frosted glass of the bathroom reflected two intertwined figures. Sometimes, their bodies would accidentally press against the glass, revealing clearly distorted parts of their bodies.

In this environment, women are clearly more emotional, possessing the courage to turn passivity into initiative, and repeatedly taking the initiative to confront Chen Nuo whenever he wanted to rest for a while.

Soon.

and many more!

Before those two words could even be uttered, things spiraled out of control.

After showering, the two lay back down on the bed. For Chen Nuo, this was a moment of complete tranquility. Let alone Liu Yifei, even if it were Liu Yifei and her… he remained utterly unmoved.

"Hehe, Chen Nuo, tell me honestly, am I getting better and better now?" Liu Yifei asked with a sly smile, lying in his arms like a weasel that had stolen a chicken.

Chen Nuo was silent for a moment before answering calmly, "Yes."

"What's wrong? Your tone is weird. Are you still angry?" She looked up at him.

"No. It's just... nothing."

"Tell me, what happened?" Liu Yifei shook him coquettishly.

Chen Nuo murmured, "I feel... maybe the effects of the medicine are wearing off."

"Huh? Medicine? What medicine? You wouldn't...you've been taking medicine all this time?" Liu Yifei was stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Now things were in chaos again. Chen Nuo had to use all his words to convince her that he wasn't the kind of man who needed a "little blue pill" to get an erection.

In fact, it is not.

The "medicine" he was referring to was not sildenafil or tadalafil, but rather the miracle drug that had unexpectedly appeared four years ago.

Four years have passed, and it seems that the effects of the drug are slowly fading, gradually turning him from a superman back into a normal person.

This sense of loss didn't just appear today. He had vaguely sensed it back in 2012, when he was with Gao Yuanyuan. He just hadn't thought about it deeply until just now, when he finally confirmed that it was probably not just his imagination.

day.

Looks like I should ask Janice Man.

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around." Chen Nuo said with his eyes closed, "Nazha, I've only seen her sleeping a few times on the plane, I didn't mean anything by it, OK?"

"I know, I was just kidding."

Yeah, right. She even picked up my... and started studying it. I wonder who taught her that. It's probably either Shu Chang or Liu Xiaoli. And this woman's special trip to Hong Kong to see me is probably not just about "accompanying Shu Chang to her audition."

Sisi's little schemes are child's play compared to Chen Nuo, the ultimate boss.

He didn't pay any attention to this little bit of intrigue, yawned, and said, "I'm sleepy, let's go to sleep."

“I want to hear you sing ‘Chengdu’ for me,” Liu Yifei said.

"This is in Hong Kong, late at night, why are they singing 'Chengdu'?"

Sing it out!

"What are you going to sing? We'll talk about it when you wake up tomorrow."

"Emm... okay."

The dark room fell silent, with only faint breathing sounds remaining.

A few minutes later, a woman's voice suddenly rang out again: "Chen Nuo, are you asleep?"

A few seconds later, the man's voice came: "No."

When you were in the US, how did you feel when you saw on TV that you had been nominated for an Oscar?

"I don't feel anything."

“Tell me,” Liu Yifei said, her voice filled with regret. “I regret not going to America with you so much.”

"...It's really not a big deal, since we can't get it anyway."

"what!"

Hearing the unusual sound, Chen Nuo opened his eyes and, through the dim light in the room, saw that Liu Yifei had sat up again at some point. He couldn't help but chuckle, "Why are you so agitated?"

Liu Yifei clenched her fist, her tone becoming increasingly serious, "Because it's truly a rare achievement. You're the first Asian actor in history to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor, shouldn't you be a little proud of yourself?"

Chen Nuo chuckled softly twice.

Hearing his laughter, Liu Yifei became even more indignant and pulled his blanket: "I was so happy when I woke up that morning and saw it trending on Weibo. I called you but you didn't answer, humph. I don't know what you were doing at that time."

"...Little Li dragged me out for drinks to celebrate, and we drank a bit too much."

"Is he with you?"

"Yes, we watched the live broadcast together."

"Is he happy too?" Liu Yifei suddenly perked up and asked with a gossipy look, "How many times has he been nominated? Does he really want to win an award?"

Chen Nuo said, "Probably. Why don't you ask him yourself later?" "How can I ask him myself?" Liu Yifei pouted.

"Do you want to come with me to the Oscars this year?"

"Huh!? What?" Liu Yifei exclaimed in surprise, jumping up from the bed as if she had just been startled. "What did you say?"

"The Oscars are in the 20s, do you want to go?"

"Are you serious?"

"Why are you so excited? You've been before. Are you going or not?"

"I"

Chen Nuo felt he shouldn't have brought this up so late at night, but logically and emotionally, it made no sense for him to go to the Oscars alone. It wasn't just any ordinary award. Liu Yifei, however, was incredibly excited, chattering incessantly, looking like she couldn't wait to leave.

"There are still more than 20 days, enough time for you to order your dress. Why don't you go shopping with Shuchang first? See which brand's style you like, and then have someone from the company contact you."

"Okay! But...aren't there auditions for your TV series tomorrow?"

"Not tomorrow. I need to find out more about the situation tomorrow first."

"Oh~ that's great!" Liu Yifei smiled, her eyes crinkling, and she clung to him. "Last time I wore Dior, but I felt it was a bit old-fashioned. This time I want to try Elie Saab or Zuhair Murad. Hey, can I call Xiaocao and ask her to come over and look at my outfits with me?"

Xiao Cao is Liu Yifei's personal stylist from Huanxin Company. She went back to her hometown before the Lunar New Year and hasn't officially started work yet, so she didn't come to Hong Kong with her this time.

"...Whatever you want." Chen Nuo turned over, pulled the blanket over his head, and said in a muffled voice, "I really want to sleep."

"Hmph." Liu Yifei snorted, but didn't bother him anymore. Instead, she gently turned to the side and snuggled into his arms.

……

……

Before them lay a dusty construction site, a maze of steel bars, where workers in hard hats were busy at work. Occasionally, passersby would glance at them with curious yet weary eyes, but they would all hurry past.

Johnnie To, wearing a thick coat and rubber-soled construction boots, pointed and said, "Everything is going very smoothly so far. We might be able to finish filming ahead of schedule by the end of the month. Then, when you come back from the Oscars, Mr. Chan, we can start filming again. This way, we can squeeze out more time for shooting."

This film studio is located in San Po Kong, Hong Kong. It was originally an abandoned industrial area. The Hong Kong government was very welcoming to this kind of film and television investment from the mainland, perhaps because of Huanxin's reputation. In any case, it gave the green light all the way and the approval process was very fast. In the end, Huanxin Hong Kong rented this 20-acre plot of land at a very low rent for a term of seven years.

Construction on the three interconnected sheds began at the end of last year. Originally scheduled for three months, the main structure has already been completed in just over a month. The largest shed is 18 meters high and has a total area of ​​over 4000 square meters. The interior space is large enough to accommodate a 1:1 scale recreation of the large-scale game scenes from the "Eagle Catches Chickens" script. It adopts a modular design that is detachable and recyclable, and can build six key scenes, including "123 Wooden Man," "Glass Bridge," "Marble Game," "Tug-of-War," and "Eagle Catches Chickens," in one shed.

The other two buildings will serve as a special effects photography studio and a lighting test studio, respectively, and their internal wiring and ground stabilization have been completed.

It can be said that this high-standard film and television shooting base, with a total investment of up to 1000 million US dollars, will become the most advanced, professional, and only studio complex in Hong Kong built entirely according to Hollywood A-level industrial standards once it is fully put into use.

In the words of a scene expert brought in by Netflix from the United States, this place is at least ten years ahead of TVB City and Shaw Studios in terms of spatial flexibility, technical support, and camera acoustics and lighting simulation systems.

Johnnie To was clearly aware of this as well, and after speaking, he added with a touch of wistfulness, "Once this place is built, anyone in Hong Kong who wants to shoot a big production will probably rent this studio. It's just too convenient."

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "If Producer Du wants to use it at that time, just give him a heads-up."

Johnnie To smiled and said, "Then thank you, Mr. Chan."

Chen Nuo added, "You're welcome, you're welcome. We've already started working before the New Year is even over. Producer Du, you've really worked hard."

Johnnie To laughed and said, "Haha, that's just how I am. Once I take on a job, I naturally have to do it well. Actually, it's not just me. Miss Eisner, Mr. Qi, and even Xiangzai have all worked very hard. Miss Eisner even fell ill because she was working too hard. I've been making movies for decades, and this is my experience. Everyone has to work hard for a movie to have a good result. We've all worked very hard on this film, and the final result will definitely be good."

Chen Nuo glanced at Qi Yuntian and Peng Haoxiang beside him, smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes."

Having inspected the most important construction progress, the next step is casting.

During this period, the production team has completed the first round of actor selection in Hong Kong, and a preliminary list of more than a dozen main supporting roles has been formed.

Chen Nuo rarely got involved in these matters in the past, except for the case of "The Message". But this time was different. He accepted a huge sum of money from Netflix and served as the executive producer of the series, so he naturally couldn't stay out of it.

Back in the conference room of the newly renovated Hong Kong office building, Chen Nuo looked at the A4 sheet of paper in his hand.

Although Qi Yuntian had informed him beforehand, he still smiled when he actually saw the list of dazzling names.

Seeing his expression, Johnnie To couldn't help but smile and say, "Andy Lau, Sean Lau, Francis Ng, Anthony Wong, Louis Koo, and Sammi Cheng—they didn't act in TV dramas before, but I've worked with them for many years. This time, I personally went to talk to them, and they all agreed to come and support us. To be honest, since 'Infernal Affairs,' Hong Kong hasn't seen a film with so many stars acting at the same time. The effect will definitely be amazing."

Chen Nuo imagined the scene and couldn't help but nod, sincerely praising, "If it weren't for Producer Du's influence, this lineup would be impossible."

Johnnie To smiled with a hint of pride and said, "It's not just because of me. It's because this film has captivated everyone. As for me, I didn't actually put in much effort."

"Haha, Producer Du is being modest."

Johnnie To continued, "The only problem now is the pay. For example, Andy Lau, he now earns about HK$2000 million per movie. This time, I didn't even have to say much, and he lowered his price to a few million per episode, which is very cheap. But Ms. Eisner didn't seem willing to pay even that much before."

Johnnie To shook his head, looking troubled, and then smiled meaningfully at Chen Nuo, saying, "But I think persuading Miss Eisner shouldn't be a problem for Mr. Chen, right?"

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "I wouldn't dare say that, but I can ask later."

After the meeting ended, Johnnie To left with his team, leaving only Huanxin's group behind.

Chen Nuo leaned back in his chair, stretched, and turned to look at Pang Ho-cheung, saying, "Hang-zai, you're the director. What do you think of what Producer To said?"

Pang Ho-cheung scratched his head, looking a little guilty, and said, "An all-star lineup would be great, but I'm worried that too many stars will make things difficult on set. Otherwise, boss, you should talk to Ms. Eisner first. If she agrees, I'll be fine."

……

"NO, Chen, I disagree with your opinion—cough cough cough!"

Before Rory Eisner could finish speaking, she covered her mouth and coughed violently.

After she finished coughing, Chen Nuo said with a helpless expression, "What are you doing? How did you catch a cold? You used to travel all over the country with me, and you were fine even when it was minus thirty degrees Celsius in Xinjiang. What happened?"

Luo Rui shook her head, picked up the water from the bedside table and gulped down two mouthfuls, then pulled the Hilton Hotel blanket up a little higher and said, "It's nothing."

Chen Nuo called out to the outside world, "Nazha, please pour me a cup of hot water."

"Chen, I'm American, and I don't like drinking hot water."

“I know, but you’re in China now, so you have to do as the Romans do.”

A moment later, Gulnazar brought in a glass of warm water from outside the suite. Chen Nuo handed it to Luo Rui Eisner without saying a word, saying, "Drink it all, then we'll talk."

Luo Rui looked at the water in the glass, then glanced at Chen Nuo with her emerald eyes, sighed helplessly, and then, as if her life was about to end, she frowned and drank the water in small sips for five minutes before finally finishing it.

"Burp." She let out a burp.

Chen Nuo immediately smiled.

Luo Rui covered her mouth, a blush rising on her face.

Chen Nuo knew that this rich young lady was actually a very shy person, so he didn't make fun of her and continued talking about what had happened before.

However, Luo Rui shook her head again and said firmly, "No, Chen, if it's really necessary, I won't refuse for a little more pay. I'm the producer of this project, and my responsibility is to make it better. I wouldn't mind flying back to Los Angeles to see Reed or even having another meeting with those jerks at the boardroom for this."

"However, if it's not worth the money, I won't spend a single penny more."

"Although To said they lowered their salaries, from what I understand, they are still much more expensive than the average actor. To wants to assemble an all-star Hong Kong cast, like the Thirteen Ocean's, as if only in this way can he be confident in the success of the series. But I think it's utterly absurd."

"Cough cough cough cough."

"Alright, alright, speak slower. Don't get agitated." Chen Nuo smiled wryly. "Actually, it's already a bargain. They're all big stars; you can't expect them to earn the same money as ordinary actors, can you?"

"Why not? Big stars?" Luo Rui's eyes revealed a hint of contempt. "I dare say that more than 95% of our platform's members, apart from you and Jackie Chen, don't know any other Asian stars. In the eyes of our members, these so-called stars are just a bunch of nobodys."

"Besides, this is a TV series, not a movie. Supporting roles don't require such superb acting skills. I believe many ordinary actors from mainland China or Hong Kong would be willing to take this opportunity. If a second season is needed, it would be easier to renew X's contract with their words. Why should we spend several times or ten times the price to do what Du says? He wants to take care of his Hong Kong friends, but I don't want to."

After listening to Luo Rui's typically cold and ruthless words, Chen Nuo suddenly recalled the scene from his first visit to Hong Kong to see Wang Jiawei, where he saw a group of young men and women holding signs with various slogans at the entrance of Jet Tone Films.

To be honest, he originally came here to persuade Luo Rui, but now he's almost being persuaded by her.

He hesitated and said, "But wouldn't that be a bit too risky?"

Luo Rui replied without hesitation, "With you here, I think that's enough."

Chen Nuo remained silent.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Okay, I'll come down and discuss it with Chris. You get some rest."

"Wait, is there something else you haven't said?" Luo Rui asked, staring at him.

Chen Nuo paused for a moment, then feigned ignorance and said, "No."

“Don’t lie to me, Chen.” Luo Rui took a deep breath and smiled bitterly. “The day the Oscar nominees were announced, I couldn’t help but send her a text message, and I guessed it from her reply. She told me to ask you. But, do I even need to ask? Don’t you think so?”

(End of this chapter)