Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 317 Don't mention it, I have to repay you.
Liu Jing frowned even more deeply; such things are actually quite common.

Many coal mine owners invest heavily in film and television productions in order to woo female celebrities.

At their social class, money is just a number; they don't care about it at all.

They don't interfere with how the director produces the film; they only care about whether they can get their favorite actresses and how to promote their mistresses.

Many female celebrities debuted this way, and many others were taken in by them and faded out of the public eye.

Such things are common in the entertainment industry; they've become an integral part of the business. Liu Jing has no interest in challenging these rules.

But when it comes to his own woman, that's a different story.

"You should have told me," Liu Jing said, frowning.

"When I told you, I still had a company, didn't I?" Yang Mi smiled bitterly.

“Your company’s bosses are used to these things; they’ve long since become accustomed to them and taken them in stride,” Liu Jing remarked.

Many female celebrities have a very low opinion of integrity, or rather, they don't care about it at all.

Many female celebrities even use their bodies as bargaining chips to exchange resources with capable people.

There are also some media companies that operate under the guise of talent agencies, but are actually just doing high-end public relations.

Resources, capital, power, business, and so on—everything is clearly priced; it's a naked transaction.

Liu Jing thought of the text message records between Yang Mi and Li Xiaowan. From the company's perspective, Li Xiaowan was not at fault.

To reiterate, if it concerns Liu Jing, then he is wrong.

He was always petty, and he silently made a note of it.

"I refused her, and that afternoon Director Li Shaohong suddenly contacted me. She said I wasn't suitable to play Lin Daiyu, but rather Qingwen. I asked her why? She said, 'I know for sure.'" Yang Mi sniffled and said self-deprecatingly, "I'm not stupid, of course I understand. If a female star is open-minded and has a certain level of attractiveness, getting a role is really easy. I could just spread my legs and Lin Daiyu would be mine. I just refused, and I was removed from the list of Twelve Beauties and became a maid."

She used to think that getting roles was all due to her own abilities, and at most, her older brother would give her a push.

I only realized it now; how naive I was.

Only when the older brother pushes you a lot from behind will you be able to get that role.

For example, Ding Dang in "The Knight Errant", Wang Zhaojun in "Zhaojun Goes Beyond the Great Wall", Yang Xiaoyun in "Struggle", and Tang Xiaolian in the upcoming "Supermarket"...

They were fed by their older brother, not by themselves, so they took it for granted.

"And then you went to see Li Xiaowan again?" Liu Jing asked.

Liu Jing wasn't surprised that Yang Mi approached Li Xiaowan.

Rong Xinda appears harmonious, but it is actually divided into several factions, and Yang Mi is one of Li Xiaowan's people.

Before filming "King of Beggars", Yang Mi also filmed "Monkey Boy" with Liu Xiao Ling Tong. Li Xiaowan was the producer and screenwriter of that show.

She was only six years old that year, and it was through this drama that she became acquainted with Li Xiaowan.

Yang Mi worked as a model during junior high school, where she met Li Xiaowan again, which led her to join Rong Xinda.

Back then, Rong Xinda was a leading company in the film and television industry, and it still is today.

"Yeah! I went straight home. The more I think about it, the more unfair it seems..."

"Are you stupid? Why should they give you fairness? Who are you to them? Your daughter-in-law?" Liu Jing said bluntly.

"I was so stupid! When we were casting for 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber,' you were always talking about fairness and impartiality. You didn't fool anyone else, but you fooled me. I mistook them for you, so I went to Sister Wan to demand an explanation. She told me..." Yang Mi was in tears.

She was involved in the entire casting process for "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber." Compared to other talent shows, it truly deserves to be called fair and impartial.

Yang Mi recounted her conversation with the boss to Liu Jing.

In addition to what was mentioned in the text messages, she was also threatened, told about the person's background, and belittled her to nothing.

Self-respect, self-confidence, and self-reliance were strongly impacted by Li Xiaowan's sharp words.

The more proud you were a while ago, the more inferior you felt at that moment, crushed into the dust.

"This play isn't worth making you so sad." Liu Jing stopped taking advantage of her, pulled her into his arms, and gently comforted her.

He didn't evaluate the play because he neither had the opportunity nor the need to.

The script hasn't been released yet, so what can he use to evaluate it?

Besides, Liu Jing felt there was no need for evaluation; remaking the Four Great Classical Novels was always a thankless task.

The upper limit is welded tight, and each classic version is more classic than the last.

The lower limit is obvious at a glance, given its large audience base.

A large audience isn't necessarily a good thing. The old version has a vintage filter, and people are prejudiced against it. No matter how it's remade, there will always be people making comparisons.

Well done, you deserve it.

If the filming is bad, you'll get scolded even more.

The new "Dream of the Red Chamber" is about to start filming, and the new "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is in preparation. Many investors are waving their money and are now eyeing the "Journey to the West" and "Water Margin" series.

There's no way around it; we might not make a lot of money, but at least we won't lose money.

“You don’t understand, I’m not heartbroken because of the play. I knew all this before, but I still clung to some illusions. I was lucky to have met only good people. The dream is shattered, the dream is over, there are no good people in this world. I have no relation to them, it was all wishful thinking on my part.” Yang Mi choked up.

"There are still good people in this world, like me." Liu Jing said shamelessly, feeling that he was really a good person.

"Waaaaah..." This only made Yang Mi cry even louder.

"Sigh! If you treat everyone around you as bad, and then gradually discover their good qualities, your life will become more and more positive. If you treat everyone around you as good, and then verify their bad qualities, you will become more and more pessimistic about the world. In fact, there is no right or wrong in things, and no good or bad in people; it's just a matter of different starting points," Liu Jing sighed.

"You're a bad person, a big bad guy, a super bad guy!" Yang Mi's hair was disheveled, and tears streamed down her face; she looked utterly miserable.
For some reason, Liu Jing felt nothing—no pity, no tenderness, no love, no torment.

If it were a little lion like this, he would definitely feel a strong sense of brokenness and want her to continue breaking.

"Punishing yourself for someone else's mistakes. You think you're so clear-headed? You're just a fool." Liu Jing said disdainfully.

"It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one doing the work. If you were in that situation, who knows how you would react," Yang Mi complained, sobbing.

"Excuse me, I'm sitting down right now."

"Let me cry for a while, stop teasing me." Yang Mi smiled through her tears.

"Don't wipe your snot on me when you cry. You threw up all over me yesterday, and today you want to cry all over me again. You won't be satisfied until you get me wet."

Yang Mi spat lightly, "Who got who wet? Your clothes are just a little wet, but me..."

Her older brother cracked jokes to cheer her up. Her emotions stabilized, and her mood inexplicably improved.

"I felt like the sky had fallen. Was that still my most respected teacher? Was that still the company I felt so warm and welcoming at? I wanted to contact you, but I was afraid you would laugh at me. I wanted to handle it myself, and as I drank, I accidentally drank too much." She was still a little embarrassed when she talked about it; it was just too shameful.

Thankfully, there were no outsiders, just my parents and my husband. I've embarrassed myself in my own home.

"I only blacked out, but you can lose your mind; you're more powerful than me," Liu Jing exclaimed in admiration.

"I'm sorry, I apologize to you." Yang Mi wiped away her tears and suddenly bowed her head to Liu Jing to admit her mistake.

"What's there to apologize for? Just be well."

"I used to say that casting for 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber' was like casting for imperial concubines. Now I'm wrong, this is what casting for imperial concubines really is," Yang Mi said earnestly, admitting her mistake.

"Let's terminate the contract. We're not filming this anymore." Liu Jing's face darkened. Fair and impartial casting... well, except for Liu Shishi.

"Ok!"

"With me here, no one can bully you."

"Then bully me all you want, bully me badly. Don't treat me like a human being..."

"Get out of my way. I don't use you as a punching bag, so don't use me as a punching bag either."

Favorability +1
What followed was a long silence, with everyone lost in their own thoughts.

Just when Liu Jing thought Yang Mi had fallen asleep in his arms, he suddenly heard a murmur, "Liu Jing, I love you."

Liu Jing paused for a moment while patting his back. The word seemed so distant and unfamiliar to him.

"If we don't have 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' we still have 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms.' Didn't you want to play Diao Chan?"

"I don't want to think about it anymore. If even Xixi doesn't want a role, I don't want one either. I'm so ugly, yet I want to be so beautiful. She'll definitely laugh at me." Yang Mi said self-deprecatingly.

Liu Jing paused again. Yang Mi guessed correctly; Qianqian had mocked him like this more than once. These two knew each other so well—could it be considered mutual respect?
Yang Mi secretly pursed her lips, "I knew it. You're beautiful, so what? Your man is with me now."

I'm not as good as you now, but I'll definitely... still not as good as you in the future, because you have such a good mother.

In recent months, she has been focusing on three things: "Dream of the Red Chamber", "Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre", and Sister Li's itinerary in the United States.

Who we met with today, which company we'll invest in tomorrow, and what project we'll be managing the day after tomorrow...

My future mother-in-law is quite the troublemaker, and she's also very wealthy.

Her horizons broadened as she followed in Sister Li's footsteps, but Li Xiaowan's cold water made her realize her own limitations once again.

Yang Mi was dejected, but then cheered up again, "Help me get Sun Shangxiang on the role. I want to play this character as a tribute to Sister Li."

She wasn't paying homage to Sister Li; she knew Liu Yifei had been very interested in the role. Last year, during the casting for "Red Cliff," she expressed her desire to play Sun Shangxiang several times, but Sister Li refused.

Liu Yifei didn't succeed; if she had, it would have been a de facto defeat for her opponent.

Liu Jing saw through Yang Mi's little scheme at a glance. This was good; competition breeds progress.

"Gao Xixi invited Fan Bingbing to play the role of Sun Shangxiang. If you really want this role, you can contact her," Liu Jing suggested. He added that it would be easier for Fan Bingbing to handle this matter than for him.

"It's Fan Xiaopang again. She was invited to play Wang Xifeng in 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' but she turned it down because she didn't have the time." Yang Mi said sourly, "She was the one who fought for the role, but the other party didn't even want it."

It's true what they say: comparisons are odious, and goods are no match for each other.

“She really doesn’t have the time. She has signed contracts for more than a dozen films, and her schedule is booked until 2010.” Liu Jing was very pleased, with an uncontrollable smile on his face.

He liked Fan Xiaopang's work ethic, and the partnership title was well worth it.

After Fan Bingbing's studio was established, she took on many roles in one go in order to make a name for herself and solidify her position.

For top actresses like the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (referring to four top actresses and two top actresses in China), there's no shortage of roles to play; scripts are delivered to them every day.

The actresses are chosen first, and only those left over are cast as other actors.

Of the nine key figures, three are self-sufficient, so Liu Jing doesn't need to worry about them at all. Fan Bingbing, Qianqian, and Shu Chang, despite Zeng Li's many years in the industry, still rely on him for support.

Fan Xiaopang has principles when choosing scripts, considering factors such as production, roles, billing order, and director, selecting only the best. With two months left in the year, Fan Xiaopang has already earned Liu Jing four to five hundred thousand yuan in entertainment-related revenue.

Sisi has more principles when choosing scripts, only publishing one a year depending on her mood. She doesn't overwork herself, nor does she allow herself to be idle.

Shu Chang receives scripts indiscriminately, regardless of their quality. As long as the pay is good, and she's offered the lead role, she'll take the job.

Sisi has already moved to the big screen, and Fan Xiaopang is also preparing to leave the television drama market. Shu Chang is very melancholy, feeling that she has fallen far behind, and the success of her film "Assembly" depends on the market response.

These three people can bring Liu Jing hundreds of thousands of yuan in entertainment value every year, but it's not as good as making a high-quality film with Fu Guihua. If he could get a tenfold return, Liu Jing felt he could ascend to heaven on the spot.

"What kind of roles have you taken on? That's amazing."

"Dance Gate," "Shinjuku Incident," "Future Police"...

Liu Jing explained in detail that he has always paid close attention to model worker representatives.

Ding Dong…Ding Dong…

The doorbell interrupted their conversation. Yang Mi got up from her brother's arms, pulled the blanket over her head, and said, "Go open the door, I'm a patient."

Liu Jing was suspicious. Why did she seem a little guilty? Had an unwelcome guest arrived? Or was it someone who wanted to sleep with Yang Mi?

Damn it, I'll break all three of your legs, or I'm not a Liu.

He looked through the peephole and saw two girls outside. "Shishi, what brings you here?"

He wasn't surprised when Bai Bing came over; he had called her over.

Yang Mi threw up in the car last night, so he contacted his assistant last night to have the car washed this morning.

Liu Shishi's arrival was truly unexpected.

He glanced instinctively at his junior sister's back, wondering if her wound had healed.

The little lion blushed slightly and took two steps back uncomfortably; she understood what her senior brother meant.

The senior brother went against his principles to win Zhou Zhiruo for her, which deeply moved the little lion.

It was her first time stepping into an adult store. She bought quite a few items and invited her senior classmate for tea that evening.

The little lion was surprised to find that his senior seemed quite interested in what he was doing.

So the night before last, despite her pain, she did it again.

The little lion guessed correctly; Liu Jing had indeed found another kind of fun, no less enjoyable than the feeling of being broken.

Late the night before last, the system sent a message that the "Holy Flame Token" had been settled.

The Fortune Flower skill triggered a double return, and Liu Jing was so excited that he couldn't control himself.

He comforted his junior sister, then made an excuse to run away from the Lion Grove Garden to thank Fuguihua.

Lion Grove Garden, that's the name of Zhang Min's house. Now the owner is Liu Shishi.

That day, Sisi bullied the little lion, and Liu Jing felt guilty and wanted to make amends. He offered to give her the house, but Liu Shishi refused.

The little lion had some money on hand, and Liu Jing gave her some more, which served as the down payment, successfully transferring the house to her name.

I promised myself I'd spend every day with the little lion.

Last night, my junior sister washed up, but my senior brother didn't arrive for a long time, so he quickly called to inquire. "The tea is ready, but it's almost cold."

Liu Jing then told Yang Mi about her situation, explaining that this was a legitimate reason for her to break her promise and not go to the Lion Grove Garden.

"I heard that Yang Mi's corpus luteum ruptured, so I came to check on the patient." Little Lion's face turned even redder. Whether the other person's corpus luteum ruptured or not, this was just circulating online, but she almost had one herself.

"What?" Liu Jing frowned, looking at his assistant, waiting for an explanation.

Liu Shishi is not Yang Mi; she wouldn't speak without reason. If she said that, there must be some basis for it.

“Last night, when you and Yang Mi went to the hospital, someone took a picture when you got out of the car and uploaded it online. By the way, they didn't get a clear picture of your face, but they did get a clear picture of Yang Mi's. Netizens had all sorts of wild theories, saying that Yang Mi was subjected to unspoken rules and that she was used so much that her corpus luteum ruptured, and many people believed it,” Bai Bing explained.

"When did this get leaked? Why didn't you tell me?" Liu Jing asked, annoyed.

"Oh, it was circulated last night. It didn't involve you, so the company wasn't paying much attention. By the time I found out this morning, it was already too late. I wanted to tell you, but your phone was off." Bai Bing shrugged.

She wasn't really concerned; it was just speculation that it was the boss, but there was no concrete evidence. As for Yang Mi, what did it have to do with me?

"The phone is off." Liu Jing's heart skipped a beat. He turned around and went back to the bedroom, only to find Yang Mi lying on the bed, holding his phone and charging it.

"Big brother, your phone is dead, let me charge it for you," Yang Mi said with a fawning smile.

"It's charging really fast. Less than half a minute? It's already half charged." Liu Jing sneered.

"It's high-tech. Maybe in the future we won't even need charging cables to charge our phones," Yang Mi argued, since the plug wasn't actually inserted yet.

Liu Jing grunted a few times but didn't say anything. He understood Yang Mi's good intentions; the girl should have been awake long ago. She was worried that her phone would wake him, so she turned it off so he could rest a little longer.

"Mimi, how are you now? Are you feeling better?" Liu Shishi came in, very concerned.

Her relationship with Xixi deteriorated, but her relationship with Yang Mi improved considerably, which is related to the character Zhou Zhiruo.

Yuan Shanshan is Yang Mi's roommate. If Liu Jing wants to kick her out, he has to give Yang Mi a heads-up first.

Yang Mi is very perceptive; she could tell at a glance that her roommate had to make way for someone with powerful connections.

This kind of thing is common in various film crews, but it's not common with the eldest brother. Yang Mi guessed that this woman was not simple and must have a close relationship with the eldest brother.

She had a few candidates in mind: Liu Shishi, Tong Liya, and Tang Yan. The latter two were less likely; if they wanted to play Zhou Zhiruo, they wouldn't need to go through her elder brother, since he was an artist under the Spring and Autumn Period. Besides, even she could see with her discerning eye that neither of them was suitable for the role of Zhou Zhiruo.

Yang Mi told her older brother, "Don't get involved in this. Leave it to me. I'll get Shanshan to back out on her own."

She found an opportunity to invite Yuan Shanshan to dinner and drinks.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Yang Mi finally asked, "Shanshan, would you choose one Zhou Zhiruo or ten Zhou Zhiruos?"

Yuan Shanshan laughed, "I'm not stupid, of course I'd choose ten Zhou Zhiruo."

"Okay! Find a reason to turn down the role of Zhou Zhiruo, and you will get ten Zhou Zhiruos in the future."

Yuan Shanshan lacked the art of speaking, but she had a quick mind and agreed on the spot.

The matter was resolved peacefully, and Liu Jing felt that his reputation for "fairness and impartiality" remained intact.

He revealed all of Yang Mi's contributions, and Little Lion was very grateful, even saying he owed Yang Mi a favor, which improved their relationship.

"Shishi, I've been bullied, waaaaah..."

Yang Mi was also surprised to see Liu Shishi. She paused for a moment, jumped out of bed, hugged Liu Shishi tightly, and pretended to cry.

"Hiss..." The little lion gasped, because Yang Mi had tackled her to the bed, and she was in some pain.

"My bed is very soft, it's comfortable to be pressed down like this, are you alright?" Yang Mi asked quickly.

She was genuinely touched; it was precisely when she was lacking in friendships that Liu Shishi came to her door.

"No...it's nothing, my legs are just a little numb." The little lion felt awkward and wasn't used to being so intimate with a woman.

"Xiaobai, go buy some breakfast," Liu Jing instructed.

"It's already ordered, it'll be delivered later." Bai Bing pouted. Luckily, I had the foresight to know that since the two of them slept together, there was no time to make breakfast in the morning.

"Wood, go ahead and do your work. Don't waste your time here; you have a lot of things to do. Don't worry about me; I have a bright future ahead of me, and I won't do anything reckless. If you're really worried, let Shishi stay with me," Yang Mi said with a grin.

She was well aware of how busy Liu Jing was.

The film "Painted Skin" is about to start filming, and the script is still being refined, having already gone through the final version many times.

The main actors of "Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre" are about to begin training, and Liu Jing, as the producer, is also taking on some training work.

"The Warlords" will be released in a little over a month, and Liu Jingde is cooperating with the publicity and distribution.

"Under the City Walls" has finally passed censorship...

"I also want to attend the training..." Liu Shishi quickly declined, "Our relationship has improved, but it's not good enough for me to accompany you."

"Oh dear! The training starts the day after tomorrow, so you don't need to go today or tomorrow. I can walk and move around, and I can take care of myself. You don't need to help me with diapers or cleaning up after me. You don't need to do anything, just chat with me and maybe get me something to eat." Yang Mi put her arm around Liu Shishi's shoulder.

Liu Shishi suddenly felt nauseous and didn't want to stay there anymore.

Yang Mi is proactive, while the little lion is more passive. He looked at his senior brother with pleading eyes and said, "You said you'd stay with me until the training started."

“MiMi, let Xiaobai…” Liu Jing was somewhat suspicious, always feeling that Yang Mi’s motives were impure.

"Why don't you two believe me? I'm a patient, what can I do?" Yang Mi said, dissatisfied.

Liu Jing became even more suspicious; Yang Mi was definitely looking for an opportunity to bully the little lion.

He was about to refuse when the little lion snorted, "Fine, I'll go with you. You said it yourself."

"Ahem, maybe we should just forget about it. You're pretty busy too." Yang Mi backed down.

"No, I have to repay you."

"No need, no need, I don't expect anything in return for my kindness."

The two were pulling at each other when two old men, surnamed Yang, arrived carrying large and small bags.

Especially Mrs. Yang, she brought her toiletries with her; it seems she's planning to stay permanently.

Yang Mi wasn't very happy. She was hoping to take advantage of being a sick person and spend a few more days with her older brother, but that plan fell through now.

Liu Jing was embarrassed. Yang's father's eyes were full of strange looks, and Yang's mother's expression was full of disgust. "Why bother with breakfast?" Amidst Yang Mi's complaints, he quickly left with Little Lion and his assistant.

Yang Mi explained that the two girls were her friends, but neither of the two Yangs believed her. One was her famous and beautiful assistant, and the other was always involved in scandals. You're telling us they're your friends? Do you think we're idiots?

"Boss, Rongxinda hasn't had many investment projects lately, just 'Dream of the Red Chamber' and 'The Diary of John Rabe.' Here's the information and background data of the investors for 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' here are the profiles of Rongxinda's artists, here's the casting schedule for 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' and here's the information of the sixty trainees in the training program. They've discovered a lot of promising talents; we can use some methods to poach them. For example…"

As Liu Jinggang sat in the passenger seat, his assistant handed him a stack of documents.

This scene looks so familiar!

He was puzzled as to why an assistant who studied law would do things that violated laws and regulations every day.

He was even more puzzled: was it that I was petty, or that my assistant had made me petty?

(End of this chapter)