Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 290 Beneath the City Wall
The wind blows, the skirt flutters, and the fragrance wafts by.

It's graduation season again!

In July, the weather at the Beijing Film Academy is hot, and people's hearts are restless.

Gazing at the setting sun, sorrow arises, and a deep sadness washes over me.

Four years of friendship were fully revealed in this moment; a bond stronger than any other day in a lifetime.

In twos and threes, men and women, some taking photos, some keeping souvenirs.

The students of the Class of 2003 walked on familiar roads, reminiscing about the ups and downs of the past four years.

Yeah! Most of them don't have many memories.

Heartbreak, unemployment, loss of virginity—all these things, whether lost or not, fade away with time.

Liu Jing lay in the middle of the lawn, gazing at the sky. He paid no attention to what others had lost; he was lost in thought.

There were many students on the lawn, some from this school and some from other schools.

Everyone couldn't help but glance sideways. "He's taken such a good spot, how are we supposed to take pictures? It's such a spoilsport!"

Someone wanted to step forward, but instead of using the toilet, they were just occupying it without actually doing their business. Classmate, please make way.

Someone grabbed me again. Fine, let's go take pictures from the side and not mess with this living devil.

Graduating students are different from freshmen. They also have passion, but they are more realistic.

Most of the students from Beijing Film Academy go on to work in the entertainment industry after graduation, and no one wants to provoke Liu Jing over such a trivial matter.

If it weren't for his obvious unhappiness, someone would have already tried to befriend him.

It wasn't that they didn't; after being glanced at twice by this person, they slunk away.

Some people weren't afraid; they carried several cans of beer, walked straight over, and even threw one of the cans at the other person.

In the distance, several girls were whispering amongst themselves, watching the spectacle unfold.

"Who was the last one? And now another one who's not afraid of death."

"She's from the acting class, I think she's a sophomore, her name is Shanshan."

"On such a hot day, worried that Liu Jing would catch a cold, he brought her a small blanket. How thoughtful of him."

"This young master doesn't seem very happy? Did he break up with his girlfriend? No wonder so many sluts are crowding around, trying to take advantage of him."

"There are so many sluts, but none of them are as slutty as this one. Who is this vixen? She doesn't seem to be a senior in college."

"Oh my, you guys are really out of touch. Yang Mi from the 05 performance class."

"She's Yang Mi? That's it, the show's over."

"That's Yang Mi. She's really just average-looking, not even as pretty as me."

"No wonder she's so brave, it turns out she's Yang Mi. Out of all the girls in our school, she's probably the only one who won't get kicked out."

"Forget about Liu Yifei from the graduate program. She's coming. Grab Liu Jing by the ear and take her away."

"To be honest, this young man is quite handsome. I wonder who he'll end up with."

"Hey! Have you heard? Liu Yifei and Liu Jing aren't biological siblings, their families are old friends, and it seems like they're dating..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Can't you see how this young man is? He's clearly heartbroken."

……

Liu Jing watched the clouds drift and the white clouds floated in the sky, creating a constantly changing landscape.

He was a sight to behold in the eyes of others. Countless girls were secretly watching him near the playground.

Yang Mi is a sight to behold, and a beautiful one at that.

She was wearing sunglasses and had crystal pendants hanging from her ears.

The top is cropped, making the body look bulging and puffy.

She wore a short skirt, showing off her long, white legs in a cool and refreshing way.

She tossed the beer in a beautiful arc, avoiding hitting Liu Jing in the stomach, and he caught it in his hand.

"Yang Mi, you're littering. I'll sue you if you're not careful." Liu Jing turned his head and glanced at her. First, he saw long, white legs, then her delicate navel, and then a mountain rising from the ground.

No need to look at her face, this is definitely Yang Mi; he couldn't be more familiar with her.

Even the obscured scenery appeared in my mind.

"Oh! I thought you were dead. I was just about to call the crematorium." Yang Mi stood down next to Liu Jing's head, looking down at him with disdain.

"You've exposed yourself." Liu Jing was also wearing sunglasses, but that didn't stop him from seeing clearly.

He patted the grass beside him and said, "Sit down, don't be shy."

"Come on, if I sit here, I'll really be exposing myself." Yang Mi hesitated for a moment, not because she was disgusted by the dirt on the ground, but because her skirt really wasn't long.

Liu Jing tossed the small blanket covering him to Yang Mi, saying, "Look at what you're wearing! Do you still look like a student? You look like a nightclub girl."

Thinking of nightclubs, Liu Jing's expression shifted, and he looked the guy up and down.

"The teacher doesn't care, you're really meddling." Yang Mi pouted, "What an old-fashioned person."

"I'm your teacher." Liu Jing chuckled. This girl was really stylishly dressed, like she came from a nightclub.

Three projects were selected for this Spring Blossom Project, one of which is "Nightclub".

The original title of the script was "Supermarket". It was a project brought by a young man named Yang Qing, which was spotted by Fatty Wang.

At Wang Pangzi's suggestion, the film title was changed to "Nightclub".

The other two projects selected were an art film by Li Guoli and a TV series by Zhou Xiaowen.

Spring and Autumn will invest five million in each of these three projects; the director or producer will find a way to make up for any excess investment.

Sugar Man wants to get involved in filmmaking, and he'll keep the rest of the investment himself.

Big Beard and Jiang Wei didn't find a suitable script. One was busy with the post-production of "The Deer and the Cauldron" and preparing for "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber", and the other was busy adapting "Lurking". They didn't have time to produce other dramas.

The first Spring Blossom Project only included three projects, and it will be launched in the second half of the year.

"Teacher, doesn't this blanket belong to Yuan Shanshan?" Yang Mi pouted, thinking, "She's trying to steal my girl away."

She learned about Liu Jing's school situation not through Yuan Shanshan, but through Zhang Xiaofei.

"What are you thinking about? Are you engrossed in watching?" Yang Mi tucked her hair behind her ear.

She was a little surprised, and when she turned her head, well, this guy was looking her up and down.

Yang Mi puffed out her chest, hehe, I'll show you what I'm made of, it's gotten even bigger.

However, she knew very well that this guy would be obsessed with lingerie fashion shows and Playboy magazine, but not with her.

The other party has thoroughly studied me from head to toe, inside and out; there's no need to be obsessed.

"I was wondering when you'd be coming," Liu Jing said casually.

He was obviously talking nonsense. Senior students are graduating, and students in other grades are also facing summer vacation.

After the performance in June, Yang Mi was often not at school.

Liu Jing was still quite surprised to see him here.

"Master, summer vacation is almost here, and you're coming to school to teach. I'd be incredibly unlucky to have a student like you." Yang Mi opened a beer and took two hearty gulps.

The beer flowed down his jaw and neck.

"Ah...that feels good," Yang Mi exclaimed.

She didn't come to school today and was shopping with her girlfriends when she suddenly received a message from Zhang Xiaofei that Liu Jing had returned to school.

So what if I'm in class? Around 5 p.m., I'll just lie down on the school lawn and stay there for more than an hour.

Yang Mi had no interest in shopping anymore. She left her friends behind, didn't even bother to change her clothes, and rushed back to school.

My brother must be in trouble. He's definitely not sleeping on the lawn. He's either confused, sad, or disappointed.

In any case, this is a good opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

She made many guesses on the way, the most common being that she would have a conflict with Liu Yifei, that their relationship would collapse, and that they would no longer be relatives.

However, upon seeing her older brother, she felt rather disappointed, not emotionally, but simply somewhat depressed.

She thought about what her older brother had been doing recently and roughly understood what was going on.

Three parts admiration, three parts heaviness, three parts pity, and a touch of amusement.

At this age, you're becoming more and more like a child.

Liu Jing remained silent, opened a can of beer, and, even more generously than Yang Mi, downed it in one gulp.

Click...

He crushed the can and threw it far away.

"That's so rude." Yang Mi rolled her eyes. We were already going too far by drinking on the school lawn. Now you're littering everywhere, you're pushing the limits of what's acceptable for the school.

She got up from the lawn, ran over, and picked up the trash.

"Let's go! Let's find a place to have a drink. It's my treat tonight. I'll keep you company while you eat, drink, chat, and even sleep with me. Others are three-way companions, I'll be four-way." Yang Mi put her hands on her hips, not wanting to sit on the ground anymore.

If this guy creates more trash later, she'll have to pick it up.

"I don't want to go anywhere, I just want to watch the sunset for a while." Liu Jing said lazily. A gentle breeze blew by, and he was even less inclined to move.

Yang Mi didn't say anything. She lay down next to her older brother, covered herself with a small blanket, and looked at the sky like her brother.

You remain silent, and I remain silent, like two lunatics.

Passing students would occasionally glance at them, but the two remained motionless and gradually lost interest.

That's all for now, let's call it a day.

The sun sets behind the mountains, and stars fill the sky. The evening breeze is like wine, and the cicadas' chirping grows louder.

"I never expected to be able to see stars in Yandu at night," Yang Mi muttered.

Her heart was at peace, and she suddenly felt that this was quite good.

Occasionally glancing at the starry sky, I realize how insignificant I truly am.

"The starry sky of two thousand years ago is just as unchanged as it is now," Liu Jing remarked.

He was indeed feeling unwell, but not to the point of contemplating suicide; he was just a little gloomy.

A gentle evening breeze and a glimpse of the sunset are usually enough to dispel the lingering unease.

Even the strongest person has moments of weakness. But what makes the strong stronger than the weak is that they are not defeated by adversity.

On April 20, filming began for "The Yin-Yang Sacred Flame Order".

Filming for this drama wrapped up ahead of schedule on May 13th, and it is currently in post-production.

After filming wrapped, Liu Jing went straight to Tianjin, where preparations for "Under the City Wall" were almost complete.

The conflict between him and Lu Chuan at the beginning of the year has long since come to an end.

What started as a dispute between two individuals has gradually drawn in various forces, including Huayi Brothers, China Film Group, Orange Sky Entertainment, and even Beijing Film Academy.

Huayi Brothers is settling personal scores and kicking someone when they're down. China Film Group is the supervising unit and an investor, so there's nothing they can do.

As for Orange Sky, he was just joining in the fun. Old Wu wanted to get involved in everything for the sake of stock market value.

A series of investment news caused Orange Beauty's stock to soar, and its market value has now exceeded 2 billion.

He was an investor in the blockbuster film "Red Cliff".

He was also an investor in the blockbuster film "The Warlords".

After the merger with Orange Sky Media, he invested heavily everywhere. When "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was re-planned, Orange Sky Media invested.

"Dream of the Red Chamber" is going to be remade, great, Orange Beauty supports it.

If someone wants to withdraw their investment from "Nanjing Nanjing", fine, Orange Beauty will take over your share.

The domestic investment in "Nanjing Nanjing" is almost gone. Old Wu from Orange Sky Entertainment talks a good game, but he just won't spend any more money abroad.

He wasn't trying to fool Lu Chuan; he was just spending money everywhere, buying things all over the place, which made his account tight.

Liu Jing was very suspicious that if these plays lost money, how would Lao Wu continue to tell the story?

The involvement of Beijing Film Academy was completely unexpected by Liu Jing.

Both Liu Jing and Lu Chuan are students at the Beijing Film Academy, but in their dispute, the academy chose to support the current student.

The Beijing Film Academy has many graduates, and quite a few are outstanding. But among its current students, only two are this exceptional, and they are siblings.

The existence of Liu Jing and Liu Yifei is like two living advertisements for the school's enrollment.

Many art students come here specifically because of these two.

Tian Zhuangzhuang, the head of the directing department, served as the producer, and the Beijing Film Academy provided strong support, giving the green light all the way in terms of personnel, equipment, and venues.

Producer Tian is very enthusiastic about this film. He likes to film subjects that are not allowed to be filmed, because that's what makes it meaningful.

With the support of the Beijing Film Academy, Lao Han was also scratching his head.

Director Lu surrendered voluntarily because he simply couldn't take it anymore.

Many people withdrew their investments, which was one thing; at worst, the people behind the scenes could just invest some more.

The production crew was in disarray, and many of the actors who had been cast found excuses to postpone signing contracts.

When this movie was first in preparation, many big-name stars sought to collaborate with it, but at this point, they all fell silent.

Besides this, many downstream companies that cooperated with them also started to play the game of evasion.

Funds were withdrawn, the cast's performances were halted, and the partners were dragging their feet. Faced with this predicament, Director Lu decisively knelt down and rushed to Lao Han to plead for leniency.

Having no other choice, Lao Han organized a meeting to bring together the three parties: Chunqiu, Huayi, and the "Nanjing Nanjing" film crew.

Spring and Autumn had only one condition: let us use the completed city of Nanjing first.

Old Han agreed on behalf of the director. Although the script passed the review, the production team collapsed.

Rebuilding the cast and crew will take a lot of time. The location is just sitting idle anyway, so why not let Chunqiu film "Under the City Wall"?

Director Lu was so frustrated. You might as well let me publish an apology in the newspaper.

So, the day after the peace talks, the production team for "Under the City Wall" was officially established.

With an investment of 50 million, Spring and Autumn Film Studio holds a 60% share, while the remaining 40% is shared equally among the Youth Film Studio affiliated with Beijing Film Academy, Shanghai Film Studio, Jiangsu Provincial Radio and Television Station, and South Korea's New Star Film and Television.

Because of the film "Painted Skin", Chunqiu and Shanghai Film Group had a collaborative relationship.

It was co-produced by New Life Films, primarily for distribution in Japan and South Korea.

Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation was originally an investor in "Nanjing Nanjing," but it was poached by Spring and Autumn.

In addition to poaching investors, Liu Jing also lured away many actors, such as Gao Yuanyuan, Liu Ye, and Qin Lan.

With this team and strong support from several parties, producer Lao Tian's work progressed rapidly.

"Under the City Wall" was in preparation in March, started filming in mid-May, and wrapped up in early July.

The nearly fifty days of filming were anything but easy for Liu Jing, the director.

This drama, told from the perspective of an ordinary family facing life-or-death choices, showcases national integrity and the glimmer of humanity.

The first act is titled "Autumn Cicadas, the Night Before the City's Fall."

On the banks of the Qinhuai River, Pingtan artist Zhou Huaiping performs "The Song of the Rear Courtyard" in a teahouse, receiving tips from customers. His daughter, Xiaoting, just over ten years old, with her braids tied with red ribbons, diligently learns bookkeeping at the counter. His wife, Su Rou, delivers medicine to wounded soldiers.

The first ten minutes or so showcase the city's tranquility.

Zhou Huaiping's younger brother, Zhou Huai'an, was a Nationalist Army officer. He contacted his brother late at night, urging him to evacuate Nanjing.

My brother disagreed. This is our family's traditional teahouse, and I have to preserve our family's craft.

When the air raid siren sounded, Zhou Huaiping put the family genealogy and Pingtan musical scores in a box and buried them under the old locust tree in the courtyard.

The second act is titled Winter Snow, Blood-Red Morning.

Japanese troops poured into the city through the gates, and Zhou Huai'an led his remaining soldiers in a street battle. Zhou Huaiping witnessed his neighbor's tailor shop family being bayoneted to death and hid his daughter, Xiaoting, in the cellar.

American doctor Wilson shouted in broken Chinese, "Women and children first!", urging the crowd to evacuate and escape.

Su Rou gave up her escape spot to the pregnant woman and changed into her husband's long robe, saying, "If I dress up as a man, I can save more girls."

Japanese generals forced Zhou Huaiping to play and sing at the massacre site. He played "Man Jiang Hong," and the strings snapped one by one.

The third act is titled "Spring Thunder," and it's "Jasmine Flower" in the cellar.

In the cellar, Xiaoting drew a calendar on the wall with charcoal pencil and stayed awake by humming "Jasmine Flower," a song her mother taught her.

Before Zhou Huaiping was taken to Jiangdongmen for mass slaughter, he handed half a jujube wood gaver a missionary the task of "giving it to Dr. Zhang at Gulou Hospital."

Hidden inside the gavel were the serial numbers of the dead Japanese troops.

In a Tokyo court in 1985, the white-haired Xiaoting presented a gavel and said, "I am the daughter of the Zhou family of the Nanjing teahouse."

In the final scene, the modern Nanjing Children's Choir sings "Jasmine Flower," and the camera pans across the glass display case of the memorial hall at the original site of the teahouse, which contains half a piece of jujube wood and a blackened musical score.

This is the general plot of the story beneath the city walls. There are no large-scale battles; the tragedy is presented from the perspective of an ordinary family.

There are many disturbing scenes in it, some of which were filmed by Liu Jing, and some of which are restored old photos.

The filming over the past two months has not been nearly as joyful as that of "The Yin-Yang Sacred Fire Order".

Duan Yihong plays Zhou Huaiping, Liu Ye plays Zhou Huaian, Gao Yuanyuan plays Su Rou, and there are quite a few other actors, most of whom are students from the Beijing Film Academy.

"The people of today do not see the moon of ancient times, yet the moon of today once shone on the people of ancient times." Yang Mi rested her head on her arm, making no mention of why her older brother was in a melancholy mood, focusing instead on keeping him company.

"Wow! I didn't realize you were so cultured." Liu Jing said sarcastically.

"Of course, don't you know whose brother I am? I can't let my elder brother down," Yang Mi said proudly.

"Today is July 6th. There have been many July 6ths in history. Do cultured people know what happened on this day in history?" Liu Jing asked.

"Eating, sleeping, and fighting are inevitable." Yang Mi pouted, "I don't care what happens."

"In 247 BC, King Zhuangxiang of Qin, the father of Qin Shi Huang, passed away." Liu Jing sighed. How fortunate he was that he not only knew about this event from more than two thousand years ago, but had also witnessed it.

"It seems you've done a thorough study of 'Those Things About the Qin Dynasty'." Yang Mi was surprised, but inwardly she thought, "Damn, how boring, you even remember this."

"I was the main author of that book," Liu Jing admitted frankly. They were family, so there was no need to hide it too much.

"Holy crap, you were only a teenager back then, right?" Yang Mi exclaimed in surprise, sitting up abruptly as if looking at a monster.

"Gan Luo became a high-ranking official at the age of twelve, Xun Guan Niang broke through the siege to save her father at the age of thirteen, Yan Shu passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen, Emperor Kangxi captured Oboi at the age of fifteen, Xia Wanchun died a heroic death at the age of sixteen, Huo Qubing was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Champion at the age of seventeen, and Sun Quan inherited the Jiangdong base at the age of eighteen..."

"Yang Mi pushed down her older brother when she was nineteen." Yang Mi chuckled, brushing a strand of hair across Liu Jing's face.

Favorability +1
Liu Jing was stunned; this could also increase his favorability.

“Honey, I have a script that we’ll shoot during winter break. It’s a low-budget production, the pay isn’t high, but it’s quite interesting.” Looking at the tenderness in Yang Mi’s eyes, Liu Jing’s melancholy completely dissipated.

"Great! After summer vacation, I'll be a junior in college. My teachers encourage us to go out and film. The pay doesn't matter. The more we film, the more exposure we get. Once I become a top star, I can earn back the money I lost on filming now with just one movie." Yang Mi was very happy.

Because of Jiahe's affair, the money in her hands increased nearly tenfold, making her far wealthier than her classmates.

She bought a house, a car, and has several million in savings, enough for her to shop all day long.

She doesn't really care about her paycheck; she earns less than she does from commercials.

Besides, with her older brother around, how could she possibly go hungry? If they ever really ran out of food, she didn't believe her older brother would just stand by and do nothing.

So she accepted whatever small gifts her older brother gave her without hesitation, even if he didn't offer them. But she never accepted anything too precious.

Good steel should be used where it's needed most. Small gifts can deepen relationships and add fun, while overly expensive ones will only deplete affection.

I am not Liu Yifei, and I cannot ask for the same treatment as Liu Yifei.

"It seems like filming for 'Dream of the Red Chamber' will start next year. I heard the director isn't letting the actors take on other projects. Do you have any scheduling conflicts?" Liu Jing asked with some concern.

A month ago, the grand finale of "Dream of the Red Chamber" was held, and the results were announced ten days ago.

The champion of Jia Baoyu's group is Zhang Di, the champion of Lin Daiyu's group is Li Xudan, the champion of Xue Baochai's group is Yao Di, and the champion of Wang Xifeng's group is Cai Feiyu.

Yang Mi was quite disappointed, as she failed to land any of the three leading ladies.

However, shortly after the results were announced, Hu Mei and the investors had a huge and irreconcilable conflict.

China Film Group invited Rong Xinda to take over the project, and Li Shaohong was hired as the director. The casting process was restarted.

Yang Mi was thrilled. Originally, Rong Xinda could only participate indirectly, but now they were going to be directly involved in the production.

Although this matter has not been finalized yet, it is basically a done deal.

What excited her even more was that director Li Shaohong intended for her to play Xue Baochai.

"Don't worry! After this incident, the start of filming for 'Dream of the Red Chamber' will definitely be postponed. I heard from the boss that filming is expected to start around this time next year." Yang Mi patted her chest confidently. If her brother wants to film, she has to create opportunities even if there aren't any, and she has to squeeze in time even if there isn't any.

"Your performance as Wang Zhaojun was excellent, beyond my expectations. This role is a reward for you." Liu Jing was quite disappointed that he hadn't received the notification that his favorability rating had increased.

He used to use acting to seduce Yang Mi, and her favorability increased incredibly quickly. But that trick doesn't work anymore.

"I can play Xue Baochai even better. Just prepare the script for me when the time comes." Yang Mi was very proud, as if she had the role in the bag.

She has this confidence because things are different now; her fame score is 74 points and it's still rising.

She gained widespread recognition for her role as Guo Xiang in "The Return of the Condor Heroes," solidified her fame with her role as Ding Dang in "Ode to Gallantry," and further boosted her popularity with the release of "Wang Zhaojun."

Especially in the recently released TV series "Struggle", Yang Mi played Yang Xiaoyun, a girl from Yandu, which caused a great sensation.

"The Four Beauties have portrayed Wang Zhaojun, and the Four Great Classical Novels have portrayed 'Dream of the Red Chamber.' It's truly remarkable," Liu Jing remarked.

Yang Mi's path is completely different from Xixi's; it's much harder for her, but compared to most people in the industry, she's very lucky.

"Don't worry! I'll conquer the Four Beauties and the Four Great Classical Novels." Yang Mi said confidently.

She wasn't getting carried away yet; with Liu Yifei and Shu Chang above her, she couldn't afford to be arrogant, but pride and self-satisfaction were inevitable.

"It's good to be confident, but you should settle things with Rong Xinda first. Once you're in the Dream of the Red Chamber production team, it won't be so easy to go out and film," Liu Jing reminded him.

“It’s not easy for others, of course, but I’m the top female star at Rongxinda now, so I have to be special, right?” Yang Mi said smugly.

"Hehe, when the tiger is away, the monkeys reign supreme." Liu Jing mocked, "Your status as a top female star is far less valuable than it was back when Zhou Xun was around."

"Hey! Who do you think you are?" Yang Mi retorted.

She felt that she was only younger than Zhou Xun, and in a few years, who knows who would be more capable than whom.

"I look down on you," Liu Jing said bluntly.

"Hmph! I'm not playing with you tonight." Yang Mi huffed and puffed, getting up from the ground and throwing the small blanket at Liu Jing.

“I’m going to find Shu Chang. She just graduated, so she must be very free right now.” Liu Jing sprang up faster than Yang Mi.

“I’ll go find Shu Chang too.” Yang Mi’s eyes darted around. It wasn’t pleasant to show off in the dark, so she had to find an opportunity to flaunt her wealth.

Showing off in front of Shu Chang was the second most enjoyable thing for her.

"No! I'm afraid you two will start fighting."

"If we start fighting, you'll have a perfect opportunity to take care of us."

"Hmm! Let's go."

"Hey! You trash, don't go! You trash..."

(End of this chapter)