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

Chapter 73 1 hour and 07 minutes of phone calls

When Liu Yifei entered, she saw that the theater was indeed empty. Although she couldn't see clearly, with the light from the screen, she could see that there were only a few people sitting in the entire theater.

She found her seat and sat down. When she looked up, she saw a familiar face. But it was completely different from before, like two different people.

Because in "The Return of the Condor Heroes", there would never be dust or mud sticking to Yang Guo's face, and there would never be any sighting of Yang Guo smiling at anyone in a flattering manner.

But here, he was hunched over and putting on a flattering smile.

The smile was so forced that it even created layers of wrinkles on his face.

He was carrying a bag of dirty empty plastic bottles and was groveling before a little old man who collected rags.

Liu Yifei was immediately struck by this scene.

Although there were many more touching plots to come, Liu Yifei also heard someone crying in the hall.

But maybe she didn't see the beginning and never really got into the movie, so until the end of the screening, the deepest impression in her mind was still this smile that was humble to the dust.

Liu Yifei imagined what it would be like to film this scene and how she would act.

But her mind went blank and she couldn't think of anything.

This smile does not belong to her world.

When walking out of the cinema, Liu Yifei suddenly wanted to call Chen Nuo and ask him how he performed.

He took out his cell phone, found the number, dialed it, but hung up immediately.

Forget it.

Even though she was his colleague and they talked about acting, at this special time, if the other party spread the news that she called him late at night, her reputation would be ruined.

Liu Yifei put his phone back into his pocket and prepared to take a taxi home.

It was already dark at this moment. After coming out of the cinema, there were a few people standing on the roadside, who seemed to be people coming out of the mall and preparing to take a taxi. Liu Yifei put on her mask again and stood on the roadside waiting for a taxi silently.

She now regrets running away secretly.

The street lamps emitted dim and dark light, which did not bring a sense of security to people. Instead, they cast many dark shadows. In these shadows, there seemed to be pairs of malicious eyes, secretly coveting her.

Illusions are all illusions.

Liu Yifei secretly encouraged herself.

She stood on tiptoe and looked at the road. There were some cars coming just now, but she didn't dare to compete with others. Now there are fewer and fewer people, and the cars seem to have disappeared.

There seems to be some movement behind me, is it footsteps?
Liu Yifei took two steps towards the bright area under the street lamp and looked back as if nothing had happened, only to see a man whose face she couldn't see clearly walking straight towards her.

Her heart nearly jumped out of her throat.

Although she is not a timid person, she still has to know when to act. In this situation, no matter whether the other party is a paparazzi or a bad guy, it is very scary.

Liu Yifei turned around and left, took out his cell phone from his pocket, and pressed the dial button without even looking at it.

What Liu Yifei didn't know was that when she turned around and walked away quickly, the man walking towards her crossed the road directly.

The phone rang only once before someone picked up the phone and said hello.

Liu Yifei's voice trembled as she said, "I'm being followed. What should I do?"

"Liu Yifei?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was a man, sounding very young and somewhat familiar, not the agent. Liu Yifei was so confused that she couldn't tell who it was, and didn't know which number she had dialed in a panic.

"Yes, yes, it's me, someone is following me!"

The other party also became nervous all of a sudden: "Are you alone now? Where are you?"

"I'm at..." Liu Yifei said the address of the cinema, "He's been following me, chasing me! Quick, should I call the police?" The footsteps behind seemed to be getting closer and closer.

"Ah? Then it's too late to call the police. Hurry up and call for help. Check if there's anyone else on the road."

In a flash, Liu Yifei suddenly remembered who this person was.

This person is Chen Nuo.

I had found his number and dialed it before, so his number was the first one on the call list. In a panic, I dialed him again just now.

However, now was not the time to care about the difference between men and women or to keep her mouth shut. She immediately followed Chen Nuo's advice and prepared to find someone to stop the person behind her.

Look to the left, no one.

Looking to the right, there was no one.

There seems to be a figure in front, but it is too far away.

I can hardly walk anymore. I'm so tired.

Looking back, there was still no one there.

"What should I do? There's no one around." Liu Yifei was so anxious that she was about to cry. She said into the microphone, "I looked around and there's no one. Can you help me call 110 and ask the police to come and save me~"

"Where's the person behind you?"

"There's no one behind!" Liu Yifei screamed.

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and then someone said, "...There's no one behind you? Didn't you just say someone was chasing you? Why are you running when there's no one?"

Ok?
Liu Yifei slowed down his pace and looked back again.

On the empty road, there were only a few figures in the distance, laughing and playing.

There really is no one.

What about that person?
He gave up?

"Huhu, he doesn't seem to be following me anymore." Liu Yifei stopped, but was still very nervous. "What do you think I should do now? Should I keep going? Or call the police?"

"Call the police. Hang up now and call 110 immediately."

"I still don't dare to hang up. Don't hang up either. Can you find another phone and call the police for me?"

"Okay. I'll go find a cell phone now. Tell me your location again."

After a while, Chen Nuo used the hotel's landline to call Beijing's 110 police station and told the police that a girl was being followed by a stranger. He also gave the police Liu Yifei's phone number and address.

Then he said, "Okay, now find a safe place to wait. I've given your phone number to the police, and they'll call you when they get there."

"Okay, thank you."

"Well, I'm hanging up then?"

"Don't!" Liu Yifei found an open convenience store at this time, but the cashier was a boy. She still felt unsafe. After entering, she sat on a chair by the window at the door, looking around nervously.

When she heard Chen Nuo say he wanted to hang up, she almost subconsciously refused and said, "Would you please wait until the police arrive before hanging up?"

"Okay." Chen Nuo agreed neatly. It wasn't a big deal, so he didn't hesitate.

Then he casually asked, "Why are you out alone so late? Where's your mother? Isn't she with you?"

Liu Yifei said: "No, I sneaked out to watch a movie by myself."

"Ah, what movie?"

"The Dumb House."

……

When Chen Nuo received Liu Yifei's call, he was in a hotel in Shanghai, preparing to go to bed. He was alone.

Unfortunately, he arrived suddenly and Xia Yehe was performing far away in the border area.

Chen Nuo was surprised when he saw the caller was Liu Yifei. Now he was even more surprised after hearing what the other party said.

"Why are you going out to see a movie so late?"

After entering a bright place and talking on the phone, Liu Yifei calmed down a little. "I saw the poster on the street today and suddenly wanted to watch it. I noticed that there were not many people watching the movie in the hall. Is your movie doing well at the box office?"

"It's pretty good, better than the director expected."

Chen Nuo is telling the truth.

Although The Dumb is almost out, it’s only been over a month, so I guess there aren’t many cinemas in the country that are still scheduling it.

But this is already an excellent result.

It's rare that an art film has been released for almost a month and there are still cinemas scheduling it.

Zhang Yiyi said that the final box office may exceed 1000 million, which is the same as "Peacock". However, Gu Changwei put down his status and personally held the Silver Bear trophy and went to countless cities for roadshows with "Peacock". The publicity cost is estimated to be ten times that of theirs.

What’s more important is that they also had a ferocious tiger at the same time, “The Promise”.

When everyone thought that their small art film would be eaten to the bone by the tiger, no one expected that they would not only survive, but also tear off a large piece of fat meat from the tiger. Although The Promise was still unstoppable and broke many box office records, with a box office of 7000 million in the first week, the dumb man actually got 300 million at the box office.

Starting from the second week, although the box office of "The Promise" was still booming, its reputation began to polarize. At this time, the box office of "Mute" actually increased instead of decreased, ranking second on the box office list with more than 350 million, following "The Promise".

In just two weeks, the Dumb sold for 650 million, which was definitely beyond everyone's expectations.

By the third week, some theaters added some screenings, and by the end of the last three weeks, the total box office had reached 10 million.

You know, this is when there is absolutely no word-of-mouth communication. If the plot and actors are not allowed to be discussed, how can there be any word-of-mouth communication?
If there is one, it is Chen Nuo's face.

So both Zhang Yiyi and Li Xiaotian said that they must give him a seven-digit red envelope as a reward for selling his face.

Liu Yifei has been bombarded by all kinds of public opinions recently. Her mother has long forbidden her to see any entertainment news, so she knows nothing about these things. At this moment, Chen Nuo's casual words, when Liu Yifei heard them, she felt that the box office would definitely not be high. She also knew the difficulties of art films, and couldn't help asking: "Can it be 500 million?"

Chen Nuo said: "That's a bit more, probably just over 10 million."

Liu Yifei was a little surprised.

You have to remember that this was in 2005. The next year, Ning Hao became famous with "Crazy Stone", but it only sold more than 2000 million. At that time, a million-level movie was even an unattainable goal for many second- and third-tier film producers.

What's more, it's an art film.

She had acted in three movies before, and the best one was still a few hundred away from making 10 million. If she could play the leading role in a movie worth 10 million someday, her mother would wake up laughing in her sleep.

"Isn't that the same as Director Gu's peacock not long ago?"

Chen Nuo didn't expect Liu Yifei to really understand, so he said, "Yes."

"You are awesome." Liu Yifei said involuntarily.

She had almost never been jealous of anyone since she was little, it was always others who envied her. In the film academy, she was the only one in her class and even in the entire acting department. When her classmates mentioned her, they no longer had any desire to compare with her, because they were not on the same level at all.

But now, she suddenly felt a little jealous of the boy on the other end of the phone.

He doesn't need to change his style or become a singer, nor does he need to cater to fans, nor does he need to participate in the intrigues of several management companies. He doesn't even have a company. It is said that he just set up an individual studio and has only one agent wherever he goes.

He just filmed his movies, and everyone in the crew praised him, and all the directors and producers looked at him differently. His first movie grossed tens of millions and he won the Best Actor award.

Thinking of this, Liu Yifei suddenly became curious and asked, "Have you taken on any new roles recently?"

"Well... not yet. I went to discuss a movie today. The director really wants me to act in it, but I'm still considering..."

"Ah? But aren't you still filming The Condor Heroes?"

"This schedule is relatively late. If I want to perform it, I will go next year."

Liu Yifei suddenly realized and asked, "Why did you decide on the actors so early?"

Chen Nuo said: "I don't know either."

Liu Yifei figured it out herself: "The director must have high requirements and wants to carefully screen. The actors he chooses are probably all big names, so they need to arrange their schedules in advance. Director, who is the director?"

Chen Nuo hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't know if I can tell you this..."

Liu Yifei was a little unhappy: "Just tell me, I won't tell anyone, including my mom."

Chen Nuo thought about it and felt that anyone in the world could leak secrets or be talkative, but the girl on the other end of the phone definitely wouldn't. So he said, "Okay, it's Li An."

Liu Yifei had actually thought of many directors in her mind just now, but she never expected that it would be Li An.

Although she has filmed many dramas and debuted for several years, she has recently starred as the leading actress in several domestic S-level productions. After The Return of the Condor Heroes is broadcast, she will definitely be considered a first-line actress in China.

But who is Li An?

Even to her, Li An was still just a name that could be seen on the jury lists of major film festivals, in some film magazines and Hollywood news.

elusive.

She wants to act in Ang Lee's movie just like an ordinary high school girl wants to play the role of Little Dragon Girl.

Liu Yifei couldn't believe her ears. "Who are you talking about?"

"Li An."

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Li An?"

"Correct."

Liu Yifei stopped talking for a moment. If she had just felt a hint of jealousy, now she felt as if a stone was blocking her heart.

After a while, she asked with a hint of uncertainty: "...Did you just say that you still need to consider it?"

Chen Nuo had no way to explain. He had watched "Lust, Caution" before and knew about the many controversies this movie caused in the future. He knew that this movie must not be touched.

I could only say "hmm".

Liu Yifei was completely speechless now. She even wanted to ask him, "You can reject Li An, why are you still playing Yang Guo with me?"

There’s a rumor in the crew that you played Yang Guo because you borrowed money from director Zhang Jizhong. Is it true?
But Liu Yifei didn't ask. She sighed softly and said in a complicated tone: "You are so awesome~"

In less than five minutes, she had already said these words for the second time. If the first sentence was an expression of praise, then this one was hard to describe.

"No way. Hey, isn't this how we actors accept roles? A two-way choice."

Two-way selection, you idiot! They are two-way selection with third-rate directors. I have not heard of any actor in China who would choose Li An. Liu Yifei was angry and suddenly made up her mind: "When I come back from Japan, I will definitely make a good movie! A big production!"

Chen Nuo said: "Okay, let's work hard together then. Also, don't come out alone so late next time. It's really dangerous."

Speaking of this, Liu Yifei recalled what happened to her during this period of time.

She had been somewhat open-minded before, but now when she compared herself with the person on the phone, she suddenly couldn't understand it.

She was wronged and slandered, and suffered so much, but in the end, compared to others, what is she in the entertainment industry? She has paid so much, but compared to others, it is nothing.

Liu Yifei's nose felt sore and her eyes suddenly turned red. "I know. But...but my mom...she always speaks for others and doesn't love me anymore."

"How is that possible?" Chen Nuo laughed.

"You don't even know what happened!" Liu Yifei sniffed, a little angry.

Chen Nuo's tone was very gentle: "So what happened? Tell me."

I don’t know if it’s because in the deep night when spring and summer are intertwined, people become particularly vulnerable and are particularly prone to opening their hearts, or if it’s because after a great fright, a gap will appear in the tightly closed door of the heart, revealing hidden emotions.

In short, Liu Yifei didn't want to say too much at first, but under Chen Nuo's questioning, she couldn't help but open up and talk in a rambling manner.

She talked about everything from the rumors during this period to the pressure and anxiety she faced in transitioning from an actor to a singer, from the incompetence of the agency to the dictatorship of her agent, from her mother's attitude to the decrease in fans, including all her inner feelings.

She felt that the person on the other end of the phone was such a good listener.

Most of the time he didn't say a word, just listened in silence, occasionally asking one or two just the right questions, so that she didn't even notice the passage of time, and before she knew it, she had told her everything that had happened recently, no matter how big or small.

Until two uniformed policemen suddenly opened the door of the convenience store, walked in, looked at her, and asked in a bad tone: "Were you the one who called the police before? The number ending in 9012, we called you for almost an hour, and the call was busy the whole time! We have been looking for you around here for a long time, did you know?!"

Liu Yifei was startled and stood up immediately, saying, "It's me, it's me, I'm sorry, I forgot."

The policeman looked at her. Although she was wearing a mask, she was obviously a young girl. He couldn't help but calm down a little. He said, "Forget it, forget it. You are fine now, right? Do you want us to take you home?"

"Okay, thank you."

After getting in the police car, Liu Yifei wanted to put her cell phone into her bag. At a glance, she found that the screen was still on, showing the contact person Chen Nuo and the call duration of 1 hour and 07 minutes.

It’s over.

It's over. It's over.

Liu Yifei suddenly recalled what she had just said and wished she could turn back time and sew her mouth shut.

She wanted to just hang up the phone without caring about anything and never contact this person again. However, the reality was that she still had to go back to play the role of Little Dragon Girl.

She sighed inaudibly, picked up the phone, and whispered, "Chen Nuo, the police found me. I'm going home now. Bye."

"Okay, bye."

Fortunately for Liu Yifei, the other party simply responded with one sentence and hung up the phone.

Feeling very impatient.

Thinking of this, Liu Yifei felt a little unwilling again.

What do you mean? Am I that scary? You hung up the phone so quickly. Humph.

The police very responsibly escorted her to her home. In the end, Liu Yifei was very lucky not to alert anyone and secretly returned to the bedroom on the second floor of the villa.

She didn't even wash up and went straight to bed.

Entering the warm bed, Liu Yifei's heart finally relaxed. Before falling asleep, her last thought was: "Find time to watch it again from beginning to end."

　I'm asking for votes and everything! Big guys, help me get through this!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)