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

Chapter 608 If you have no money, just say so.

There was a few seconds of silence in the ward.

Liu Yifei looked at him for a while and said, "Chen Nuo, don't be like this, it's not good for you. I'm actually fine, I don't care what they say at all."

Is that right?

Chen Nuo believes that part of it is true.

After all, the girl debuted in her early teens, and public opinion towards her has never been particularly lenient. Few people have experienced as much hardship as she has. Under other circumstances, perhaps people would simply choose to ignore her.

However, things are different now than they were then.

When a girl is immersed in some bad emotions and can't get out of them for a long time, perhaps a careless remark can become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

Just now, Chen Nuo deliberately went against his usual style, making things so flamboyant and high-profile, actually to liven up the tense atmosphere in the ward. Otherwise, the deathly atmosphere a quarter of an hour ago was really quite uncomfortable.

At this moment, he also displayed his Oscar-worthy acting skills, maintaining his domineering CEO demeanor and arrogantly saying:

"What's wrong with that? What can they do to me? What a joke! No matter what, I've been on the evening news and contributed to Chinese cinema. What can they do to me?"

Liu Yifei's expression finally softened a little, revealing a hint of amusement: "What contribution?"

Chen Nuo smiled faintly and said, "At least with me, future Chinese actors won't have to rely on their own people to fight among the judges in order to win awards at some film festivals, and they won't be so happy and naive as to have never seen the world after winning some worthless awards from the Japanese and Koreans."

Liu Yifei tilted her head, and because of the angle, their glasses met slightly, making her look rather cute. She nodded and said earnestly, "You're right."

This wasn't the reaction Chen Nuo wanted. He found a stool and sat down, his gaze shifting to a bouquet of flowers and a rather high-end-looking fruit basket beside the hospital bed. He changed the subject, asking, "Who came to see you before?"

"Changchang and her boyfriend."

"Oh, she found out so quickly?"

"We had planned to go shopping yesterday..." Liu Yifei's voice trailed off.

Chen Nuo quickly changed the subject, asking rather gossipy, "By the way, who's her boyfriend? Is she still dating that person?"

You mean Xiao Fei?

"Correct."

“They are already engaged, and the wedding is scheduled for January next year. Today I am going to accompany Changchang to look at wedding dresses.”

"So fast?"

"No, it's been almost two years since they got together. You forgot? They met on Changchang's birthday the year before last."

Chen Nuo sat in the chair, chatting with Liu Yifei in a half-hearted manner. Although he had absolutely no interest in what they were talking about, he still patiently listened.

After chatting for about ten minutes, Qi Yuntian suddenly pushed the door open and came in, saying, "The people at 'Liu Rushi' have received news, and they want to say a few words to you."

"Who is it?" Chen Nuo glanced at Liu Yifei.

"The investors and the director both made phone calls."

"No time."

"Oh." Qi Yuntian nodded, turned around and walked out.

"Actually, Director Wu was very good to me. He taught me a lot during filming," Liu Yifei said. "He must have been quite upset that the film didn't do well at the box office."

“It’s upsetting as it may be, but if you’re going to use this to create hype, you have to be prepared to bear the consequences. Don’t tell me he didn’t know; that’s impossible.” Chen Nuo paused, then said, “An eye for an eye, that’s fair.”

Liu Yifei nodded slightly.

Chen Nuo then said, "Alright, stop thinking about it and go to sleep. It's getting late."

"how about you?"

"I'm not going anywhere, I'll stay here with you."

……

Of course, scumbags only talk nonsense.

Twenty minutes later, Chen Nuo walked out of the ward.

Liu Xiaoli jumped up from the chair in the corridor.

Chen Nuo said, "Qianqian is asleep. Aunt Liu, you can go back and rest if you have nothing else to do."

Liu Xiaoli shook her head and said, "How could I possibly sleep!"

Then, with a hateful expression, she said, "Those people only know how to bully us orphans and widows. Wu Qi called just now and wanted to talk to Qianqian, but I told him to get the hell out of here! I must have been blind to agree to let Qianqian film that piece of garbage! It really ruined us!"

After saying that, she looked up at Chen Nuo and said with a look of relief, "It's a good thing you came back, Mr. Chen. Otherwise, sigh, I would have been so angry that I would have died."

Chen Nuo ignored her and simply said, "Aunt Liu, it's fortunate that Qianqian is alright. After she rests for a few more days and is discharged from the hospital, I think we should let her rest for a while."

Liu Xiaoli was taken aback and asked somewhat nervously, "Xiao Chen, what do you mean?"

Chen Nuo also felt a strange sense of emotion at this moment.

Honestly, there might really be such a thing as fate in a person's life.

In her previous life, Liu Yifei faded from the public eye around 2008 to 2010 for various reasons.

For more than a decade afterward, he had very little exposure and produced very few works, until he finally returned to the public eye in 2022.

Although she has suffered far fewer attacks and less blows in this life, perhaps this is truly her destiny, or perhaps this is the path she was destined to take. It seems that at this stage of her life, this period of silence and recuperation is the most suitable path for her.

"It's not about quitting, but taking a break. Forget about movies and TV series, just relax properly. I feel like she's been quite unhappy these past few years. Compared to when she was having a blast, she seems like a completely different person. This time, her depression might not just be due to the movies. So, why don't we just take this opportunity to leave all this work behind and go for a while, even a year or two? She's always wanted to go back to Africa to see her animals, right? Let her go. I happen to be free these days, so I can go with her."

"She can come back whenever she's rested," Chen Nuo said to Liu Xiaoli earnestly. "Anyway, she won't be short of movies to act in, right, Xiaoli?"

If someone else had said that, Liu Xiaoli would have thought it was nonsense.

Even a fool knows that the entertainment industry is the most forgetful in the world. If you really retire for a few years and then come back, who the hell will even recognize you?

If I wanted to make a film, I could only shoot small, insignificant scenes, and even then, I might have to pay for my own trip to a film festival.

However, at this moment, she believed it wholeheartedly and immediately nodded with tears in her eyes.

……

……

"Do you really want to go?"

"Well, it's not just about spending time with her; I also want to relax and travel a bit. I've been filming for a year, and I'm really exhausted."

Chen Nuo yawned. Liu Fei, who had been on guard all night, was also getting sleepy.

He looked at Qi Yuntian and asked, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

He wasn't worried about any emergencies. In recent years, since recruiting Dilraba Dilmurat, Yang Zi, Xiao Zhan, and others into Huanxin, he has gradually become less involved in the company's affairs, and Huanxin has been living a self-sufficient and highly efficient life.

This year, Ning Hao's new film, which he was preparing to launch, had only just finalized its cast and had not yet started filming; the script for the second installment of "The Eagle Catches the Chicken," still written by Pang Ho-cheung and the Milkyway Image duo, had been in development for a year and was still being polished in post-production; Wu Jing's "Wolf Warrior" had just finished filming and its release date was at least next year, or even the year after; and Fan Binbing's "The Empress of China" was still in preparation.

However, several of Huanxin's investments and broadcasts this year, such as "The Birth of an Actor," "Tiny Times," and collaborations with Yu Zheng, including "Legend of Lu Zhen," "Legend of Chasing Fish," and "The Palace: Lock Sinensis," have achieved phenomenal success.

These works not only brought Yang Zi and Dilraba back into the public eye, and gave Xiao Zhan a little bit of fame, but more importantly, the consecutive hit dramas made Zhao Liying, this workaholic, a complete star.

Currently, in the industry, in terms of status and commercial performance fees, she is only slightly inferior to Sister Mi, who has already opened up the film market with "Tiny Times." Considering their starting points, this is definitely a rocket-like rise.

The sudden popularity of its artists has brought not only increased buzz to its works, but also economic benefits from their attendance at various commercial events, which has propelled Huanxin Company's revenue to exceed 6 million RMB this year.

Even disregarding costs and expenses, the company currently has over 4 million yuan in cash on hand and no debt, making its financial situation exceptionally good.

Every little detail shows that the 2015 Renewal Plan has begun to take shape.

Although Chen Nuo was an honorary chairman who didn't handle things, he still had to look at the quarterly financial statements, so he didn't think Qi Yuntian would give him any trouble.

And that was indeed the case. Qi Yuntian didn't mention Huanxin at all; instead, he talked about a company.

"Do you remember the last time you told me to check out that company overseas called Twitch?"

"Uh, and then?"

"This year, besides running the club, I also had Yi Ke and his group create a prototype, which we put under Yi Ke's name and were preparing to launch in December. However, there are already quite a few platforms in China doing this. For example, YY and AcFun, which are said to be making big moves next year. So I was thinking, before you leave, could you take a look and give me some pointers? Also, Liu Qi said you weren't replying to him on QQ, so he asked me to pass on a message to you to get on QQ."

Honestly, if Qi Yuntian hadn't mentioned this live-streaming company, Chen Nuo would have completely forgotten about it. He had only mentioned it casually that time and hadn't taken it to heart at all.

As for QQ and such, he hasn't logged in for ages.

Although Qi Yuntian had spoken up, Chen Nuo still didn't take it to heart.

After having breakfast with Liu Yifei in the ward, he said goodbye when Liu Xiaoli arrived.

Liu Yifei's condition had improved considerably by this time, especially after hearing about his subsequent travel and recuperation arrangements. She was noticeably more invigorated, which allowed Chen Nuo to focus on other matters.

Tong Liya and he hadn't seen each other for a long time, so this meeting certainly wouldn't be at Ziyu Villa.

Because he gave Gulnazar and Linghu, who hadn't been back to China for a long time, a long vacation, Qi Yuntian drove his Bentley to take him to Tong Liya's newly purchased home. Tong Liya used the more than 6 million yuan she earned from Netflix stocks last year to buy a townhouse in a development called Tianzhu No. 1 in the Central Villa District.

This development isn't as upscale as Ziyu Mountain Villa, but many second- or third-tier celebrities with limited funds still choose to buy property here. The reason is its excellent location: close to the airport, convenient transportation, and relatively private environment. This is why, back in 2012, you could buy something for that price. If you wait another year or two, until the capital's housing prices experience another explosive growth, especially for villas in such prime locations, you probably wouldn't be able to buy one even if prices doubled.

The car drove into the residential area and parked on the side of the road.

Tong Liya, wearing a tight sweater and jeans, and a baseball cap, stood by the roadside waiting. From afar, Chen Nuo saw her slightly tiptoeing to look out. But when the car actually arrived, she stopped looking. After the car stopped, he got out, but the woman seemed not to see him. She walked past him, bent down at the passenger side, and greeted Qi Yuntian. "Hello, Brother Qi," the woman said softly, her low, melodious voice like singing.

"Okay, go on in." Qi Yuntian turned around, gave a half-smile, and then stepped on the gas and drove away.

Tong Liya straightened up, then deliberately avoided looking at him, turned her head and walked inside.

Chen Nuo assumed the woman was jealous because of Liu Yifei, or something else. Seeing that the woman ignored him and went into the house alone, he awkwardly touched his nose and quickly followed her in.

As a result, as soon as I stepped into the room...

The room was dark, with the lights off and the curtains drawn. Before his eyes could adjust from the light to the darkness, before he could see anything clearly, someone hiding by the door slammed it shut, and a warm, soft body suddenly threw itself into his arms…

This was like a thunderbolt striking a raging fire.

Amidst a strange breathing sound and panting, there were some intermittent conversations.

"...Aren't you ignoring me?"

"...I'm afraid of being seen outside. What if, I mean, what if someone takes a picture of me... oh, that would be terrible. This neighborhood isn't very occupancy right now, but it's not necessarily safe."

"If someone really takes a picture of you, do you think your act will work? I came all the way to your house by myself, what else could I be here for?"

"Of course, just say you're here to read the script."

"Haha. How do you read it? Like this?"

"Yes, read it like that, softly, I can't stand it, read it slower."

"How have you been lately? Have you been taking care of yourself...?"

"No."

"Really? Tell the truth!"

"Yeah, to be honest, I can't."

It's been so long since we last met. Everything has to serve our needs. By the time the clouds clear and the fog dissipates, it will be forty minutes later.

At this moment, Tong Liya's newly renovated living room was in complete disarray, especially the row of fabric sofas, where all the cushions were on the floor, one of which was wet with water stains.

Tong Liya slumped on the sofa like a lump of mud, and it took her a while to catch her breath.

"I almost died..." The woman had a satisfied yet still shaken expression on her face.

She glanced at his eyes and blushed shyly, covering her chest with one hand and protecting her inner thigh with the other.

Chen Nuo smiled and was about to speak when suddenly an apple bell rang.

Chen Pingguo, a loyal Apple user who idolizes foreign things, had his pants left quite a distance from him, landing near the doorway. By the time he sauntered over, picked them up, and took out his phone, the call had already ended.

Looking at the name of the missed caller, he hesitated for a moment before deciding whether to call back, but then the phone rang again.

Okay, then we'll just have to connect it.

"Singer Chen, you're back in Beijing?"

Chen Nuo walked towards Tong Liya: "Yeah, how did you know?"

"How come I didn't know? How impressive and domineering! You came back and immediately banned 'Liu Rushi,' which was their promotional video! Goodness, now it's probably only going to be shown locally. The whole industry is talking about it now, saying you acted out of anger for a woman."

Honey's tone was strange, but Chen Nuo was too lazy to analyze it. His tone was as soft as his lower body right now: "What do you mean by 'beauty'? It's just an eye for an eye. What's the matter?"

As he spoke, he gestured to the side, and Tong Liya understood and stood up. Chen Nuo, being rather mischievous, grabbed a handful of the woman's chest, then followed her to the bathroom.

"Have you forgotten? You promised to call me when you got back so we could go see the snow together."

Chen Nuo suddenly remembered that there really was such a thing. He had completely forgotten about it, so he immediately laughed and said, "I haven't forgotten, but it hasn't been released yet, has it?"

"Come on, you come back and immediately start standing up for your Feifei, you don't even remember me. I called to talk about the class reunion, why don't you check on QQ?"

"What are you looking at?"

Tong Liya turned on the water and was testing the temperature with her hand.

Of all the women he's known, she's probably the only one who would bathe him, and that's been the case ever since they met.

The water temperature was tested, and warm water was poured over his body. The woman held the showerhead and sprayed water from his chest to his back, her hands gently rubbing his skin. Chen Nuo closed his eyes comfortably.

"See when you're free, you can set a time. None of them dare to contact you, so they asked me to talk to you."

"You guys decide, I'll come when I have time."

"No, if you don't come, what's the point of this class reunion?"

"Uh."

"Honestly, if you don't have time, then don't do it."

Chen Nuo had no choice but to say, "Okay, okay, I'll check QQ later."

"Okay. What are you doing now? It sounds like a mess."

"you guess?"

"You...I'm not talking to you anymore."

For some reason, Sister Honey hung up the phone.

Chen Nuo was taken aback for a moment before realizing that the other party must have misunderstood, but he didn't take it to heart. He looked down at the woman who was washing his feet and praised her, "Yaya, this feels so good."

Tong Liya was gently rubbing his feet and didn't answer for a moment. After a while, she finished washing, raised her head, wiped the water droplets off her face with the back of her hand, and smiled sweetly at him with a face as beautiful and graceful as a lotus emerging from the water.

At that moment, Chen Nuo sincerely felt that this woman's beauty was absolutely underestimated by everyone in the entertainment industry.

If it were a good director who knows how to film women, such as Ang Lee or Karl Wong, the charm and allure of the women in the film would certainly not be inferior to anyone else.

He finished showering first, came out of the bathroom, put on the new pajamas that Tong Liya had specially bought for him, and casually put his phone aside.

However, after thinking about it for a moment, he picked it up again and opened QQ.

It's been a long time since I logged in, and there are so many new messages, many of which are New Year's greetings sent during the Spring Festival.

He didn't look at it closely. He went straight into their Beijing Film Academy 2005 Acting Department classmates' group chat.

There are already 999+ new messages inside, with many people I haven't seen in a long time talking. The latest one is from last night, where Yuan Shanshan, Zhang Xiaofei, Wang Meng, and Yang Mi were discussing something.

They said they were planning to see if they could take advantage of the fact that there were fewer commercial performances this month to hold that long-awaited class reunion.

After that, Yang Mi was asked by her classmates to come and ask him.

Chen Nuo thought for a moment and typed back, "I'm available at the end of the month. I have some things to take care of during this time."

"Okay, let's set it for the 30th then, how about that?" Yang Mi had obviously been on QQ ever since she hung up the phone, and she replied instantly as soon as he sent the message.

Chen Nuo calculated the time; he should have returned from Africa by then, so he replied, "Okay."

Yang Mi then sent a jumping penguin emoji, and Chen Nuo smiled and left the group chat.

He originally wanted to just quit QQ, but Tong Liya was still cleaning up. Looking at those red unread messages, he felt like ants were crawling all over him, so he started deleting them one by one.

What started as a mechanical process of deleting messages suddenly made him pause, staring at a message that read, "Are you there? Are you there?"
It was sent by someone who didn't even have a profile picture.

I sent him three unread messages.

At this moment, Chen Nuo suddenly remembered what Qi Yuntian had told him before.

Because this profile picture, which clearly indicates either a scammer or someone incredibly intelligent, belongs to a Peking University doctoral student who has caused him serious psychological harm on several occasions.

"What are you looking at? Is something the matter?"

At this moment, Tong Liya came out, walked over and sat down next to him, asking with some concern.

No. I'm going to reply to a message.

He tilted his head and smiled, saying, "I didn't sleep a wink last night, so I'm planning to sleep here tonight."

"Really?" Tong Liya's eyes widened, her face filled with surprise and delight.

"Okay. I'll reply to a message."

Chen Nuo shifted her gaze back to her phone, tapped on it, and...
The messages were released intermittently over a period of time.

Two weeks ago:
"Chen Nuo, I'm starting to understand, haha!"

Three days ago:
"Chen Nuo, I've figured it out completely! But to finally make it work, we need computing power, servers, money, lots and lots of money!"

yesterday:

"Are you there? If you don't have money, don't be shy. Just let me know. I won't blame you."

Ps:

I get sleepy too much in winter; I fell asleep again while writing last night.

Sorry.

(End of this chapter)