Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 322 You're a coward

"Wood, Sisi is so pretty."

"She has always been beautiful."

"Really? She once said that you always told her she was ugly."

"I was encouraging her."

"Ha ha……"

"In my heart, she is the most beautiful and irreplaceable."

Today, the weather was very kind to us; there wasn't a breath of wind, and the sand lay quietly on the ground like a fool, completely unlike its arrogant state yesterday.

A group of people surrounded the camera, watching the playback and having a heated discussion.

Li Mengdie had no interest in listening to Liu Jing's perfunctory words. Looking at Xiao Wei in the replay, her beautiful eyes sparkled, and she couldn't help herself.

Her heart pounded uncontrollably. No wonder such a stunningly beautiful woman was called a celestial being; now she understood.

"If I were a man..." Li Mengdie sighed, suddenly feeling a little envious of the man beside her.

This morning, after talking with Liu Jing, my older sister headed straight to Jiangcheng.

She didn't go with them, but stayed with the crew to watch the filming.

The morning's scenes were Liu Jing's, and the afternoon only saw one scene filmed: Xiao Wei's entrance scene.

Li Mengdie stayed here, and both the producer and the director treated her like a VIP.

New Life Films acquired the distribution rights for the Japanese and South Korean regions, and Li Mengdie is the owner of New Life Films.

"Liu Jing, what do you think of the effect when we're doing the special effects, with the blue ice flowers blooming on the chests of these corpses, opening and closing, shimmering with a ghostly light?

After giving Li Mengdie a perfunctory answer to her question, Liu Jinggang did not intend to join the discussion.

He's not the director, just an actor, so he doesn't need to offer his opinion.

Every director has their own ideas, and he felt it was best not to interfere; this is a form of respect.

He's not like Jiang Wen, who, as an actor, was obsessed with rewriting scripts, and as a producer, couldn't resist wanting to direct the camera.

"No! Crimson ice flowers will do. We can add some lighting in post-production to make it look more eerie. We don't need the opening and closing animation; that would be too eye-catching, and the audience would overlook other details." Liu Jing pondered. The director had asked, so he had to answer.

"Special effects, when Xiaowei's hand just extends, melting ice crystals drip from her fingertips. Can you do that? It's very important; it symbolizes that she's a demon disguised as a human." Chen Jiashang nodded and continued to ask the special effects team.

The special effects were done by Tiangong Qishu, a special effects company wholly owned by Chunqiu, many of whom had studied in Hollywood.

Along with several staff members from the "Painted Skin" crew, they were involved in the entire production of "Iron Man".

Chen Jiashang was very satisfied; these people possessed both Western technology and an understanding of Eastern aesthetics.

He understands things very quickly, and the other person's creativity often inspires him.

When Tiangong Qishu recruits, it prioritizes young people who are quick-witted, have strong learning abilities, are passionate about their work, are creative, and have amazing ideas.

"Director, if Faye is made to appear semi-transparent, and we still need to showcase her expression, makeup, and clothing, then the costumes we made for her will become mere decorations. How about this, our special effects team can create a situation where celestial phenomena correspond. Moonlight condensing, sand particles floating, frost freezing, and so on, we can achieve all of these special effects."

"Hmm! Make a few more, and we'll compare the effects. By the way, after Xiaowei gets up, fleeting white flowers bloom on the sand beneath her feet. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Director, this is simple. You're trying to express that demonic power pollutes nature, right?"

"Smart, haha, no wonder you studied in Hollywood. And you special effects team need to remember, Xiaowei's character is a fallen god, not an awakening of bestiality. This entrance scene combines Liu Yifei's unique ethereal aura with some eerie elements, emphasizing a mysterious yet captivating and enigmatic quality..."

As Liu Jinghe talked with the director and the special effects team, Li Mengdie became even more dazed.

In a daze, a stunningly beautiful painting unfolded before her eyes.

At dusk, twilight and moonlight intertwine.

The desert, a wasteland, tells the story of the vicissitudes of history.

The wind and sand swept across the dilapidated pagoda, like a forgotten faith, with the faint sound of a konghou (a type of Chinese harp) carried on the wind.

Dozens of corpses lay scattered on the ground; this was a caravan. A crimson ice flower bloomed from the heart of each body.

A pale hand slowly emerges from the sand, its fingertips dripping with melting ice crystals.

The quicksand rustled and swirled, and Xiao Wei rose from the center of the vortex, her white clothes spotless, surrounded by a layer of holy light.

Her face was like a carved piece of white jade, her eyelashes were like a comb, and her hair moved without wind.

Xiao Wei closed her eyes and tilted her head back, facing the bright moon. The moonlight penetrated her body, leaving no shadow.

Xiao Wei suddenly opened her eyes, her pupils turning vertical, a fleeting glimpse of pale gold.

A smile played on her lips as she lightly touched them with her fingertips. "Shh!"

Everything was still, the shifting sands had settled into silence, and even the bright moon seemed to have dimmed a bit.

Xiao Wei landed on the ground, took a step, and white flowers bloomed, disappearing into the distance with her steps.

One step, two steps, three steps...

The strange phenomena dissipated, and Xiaowei returned to her normal human form.

Hiss... howl...

The horse hesitated, letting out a long neigh towards Xiaowei.

Wang Sheng reined in his horse and halted his troops. With a scrutinizing look in his eyes, he watched as Xiao Wei staggered towards him, fell in front of her horse, and a broken hairpin slipped from her sleeve.

"What brings you here, young lady?"

Xiao Wei was very weak, her voice trembling, "My lord... save... save me..."

The sound had a slight echo, which made it seem a bit strange.

"Haha, I'm late! How was the filming today?" A hearty laugh rang out, startling Li Mengdie, who instinctively grabbed Liu Jing's arm.

"What's wrong?" Liu Jing asked in surprise. Just a moment ago she was acting like a lovesick girl, but now she looks like a frightened little white flower.

"It's nothing. She's Fan Bingbing, right? I heard she's the most beautiful woman in China." Li Mengdie shook her head.

The scene she had just imagined started off quite nicely. Xiao Wei met Wang Sheng, who reached out and pulled her onto the horse, placing her in front of him.

The following scenes are not suitable for children.

The valiant general saved the young girl, and the horse galloped wildly, rising and falling with each jolt.

The sound of the konghou has faded, leaving only the melodious singing that drifts on the wind.

Swaying and drifting, Wang Sheng became Liu Jing, and Xiao Wei became Liu Yifei.

Suddenly, Liu Yifei's five fingers, like knives, pierced Liu Jing's chest, and a bright red heart pounded.

bang bang bang...

Her heart began to beat in unison with hers.

Then Fan Xiaopang's laughter jolted her out of her reverie, startling her so much that her face paled.

With Fan Xiaopang's arrival, the atmosphere on set became much more relaxed. Many people gathered around him, some to greet him, others to discuss business, and he became another key figure on set.

Little did Liu Jing know that the person beside him had, in a short while, connected half the story to the plot.

He thought Li Mengdie was in love; the older sister was using a sperm donor, and the younger sister was in love—it was quite shocking to him.

Last night, Xixi tried to seduce him multiple times, but Liu Jing firmly refused each time.

Are you kidding me? Do you think you can lend this out?
Sisi said he was spineless, but there was an uncontrollable smile on her lips.

When Li Mengdie brought this up with her, Qianqian almost lost her temper on the spot, but fortunately, the other party brought up the concept of in vitro fertilization in time.

Even so, she was still unhappy. "I thought we were good friends, but it turns out you were only after my brother."

Liu Jing, of course, disagreed, aside from the success rate. He always felt that Lee Boo-jin's request to borrow his sperm was definitely part of a scheme. This woman was no pushover; for the sake of Samsung's power, she was willing to marry her bodyguard and get herself involved.

Two years ago, when Li Mengdie had her accident, she told Liu Jing a lot about what had happened to her and her family, and wanted Liu Jing to write a script.

Liu Jing spent more than half a year working on it intermittently, and after artistic refinement, he finally completed it.

After reading it, Li Mengdie bought the script at a high price. Liu Jing sold it readily, after all, it was the material provided by the other party.

He also harbored a dream of directing the film himself. Filming in China faces numerous restrictions, while South Korea offers much more lenient themes, and he longed to give it his all.

Who knew that after waiting and waiting, we got news of "Nine-Tailed Fox" starting filming, new films and television series breaking into Hollywood, and Girls' Generation debuting, but we still couldn't get any news of this movie starting filming.

Unable to contain himself, Liu Jing directly asked Li Mengdie about the situation, only to learn that the notebook had been taken away by Li Fuzhen and had been shelved ever since.

Liu Jing felt uneasy that all his hard work had been buried.

There would be resistance; he thought it would be Old Li or Young Li, but it turned out to be the eldest sister.

The script opens with the death of the chaebol's youngest daughter.

Suicide or homicide? As various clues emerge, a melodramatic story of a wealthy family is revealed.

The eldest son's scheming, the eldest daughter's plotting, the second daughter's indulgence, and the youngest daughter's repeating the same mistakes...

It was homicide, it was suicide, it was murder.

The script's setting is not South Korea, but a Southeast Asian country. The Lee family of Samsung is not actually the Lee family of Samsung, but the Mu family of the Star God Group.

The Mu family has one son and three daughters. The siblings seem to have a harmonious relationship, but there are unseen undercurrents beneath.

Liu Jing devoted considerable space to the story of his eldest daughter.

The eldest daughter of the Mu family was exceptionally beautiful and intelligent from a young age, and was highly valued by the head of the family.

She received the best education and gained experience in the family business at a young age. In addition to her outstanding appearance, she also has a smart mind and decisive execution ability, gradually becoming a goddess in the hearts of countless Chinese people.

As she grew older, many wealthy young men came to propose to her.

Another conglomerate in a neighboring country wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Mu family, and the Mu family patriarch was tempted. He was about to arrange the marriage when his eldest daughter strongly objected, saying that she already had someone she liked.

The patriarch's determination was as unshakable as a mountain, but when the eldest daughter went on a hunger strike and threatened to die, the mountain finally wavered.

The eldest daughter's crush was the bodyguard he had arranged, which disgusted the head of the Mu family, like he had swallowed a fly.

The story of a wealthy heiress falling in love with a poor boy became a popular tale in China, and the eldest daughter became an idol admired by countless people.

What they didn't know was that all of this was nothing more than a cold-blooded scheme, a conspiracy meticulously planned by the idol to protect his family's status.

Art originates from life, and so do the scenes in a script, though they inevitably involve some embellishment.

Liu Jing downplayed much of the cruelty, and revealed much of the truth through absurd jokes.

Li Mengdie didn't reveal the inside story of her older sister marrying the bodyguard, but their married life suggests that their relationship was not harmonious.

"Hey! What are you thinking about?" Li Mengdie waited for a long time but didn't get a response from Liu Jing.

"Oh, I miss your older sister," Liu Jing explained instinctively.

"She's married, so you'd better stop thinking about her." Li Mengdie's expression was strange.

"Yes, she's married." Liu Jing's expression became even stranger. Since she's married, why does she still need to borrow sperm from me? It seems her relationship with the bodyguard really isn't genuine; her misogyny is understandable. No wonder she took the script away; this was artistic embellishment, and the direction was right.

"Who's prettier, Fan Bingbing or Qianqian? Who's the number one beauty in China?" Li Mengdie was unaware of Liu Jing's complicated relationship. She received the news of being rejected this morning, and her heart still ached a little.

She felt that she was top-notch in terms of looks, status, wealth, and ability. Except for her looks, which were slightly inferior to Sisi's, she was far superior in every other aspect.

This morning at breakfast, Liu Jing told his older sister that the idea of using a sperm donor was not feasible, and that she shouldn't think about such nonsense. They should just have a proper baby, since it's not like they don't have that ability.

Li Mengdie hadn't felt shy in a long time, and at that moment, she felt slapped in the face, and she had the urge to cry.

At the same time, she also developed some goodwill towards Liu Jing. He told her older sister while she was getting food, without telling her in person, thus saving her face.

“In China, ‘number one beauty’ is an adjective, describing someone as very beautiful. But either of them would definitely be number one beauty in your country.” “That’s not necessarily true. There are many beautiful women in our country; that’s a consensus across Asia,” Li Mengdie retorted.

"First, in your eyes, South Koreans only see South Korea as the whole of Asia. Second, your country does have many beautiful women and many plastic surgery clinics. The so-called beauties you speak of are all cut from the same mold. Even someone like me, who has seen countless beauties, often gets confused," Liu Jing corrected.

“There are also many who haven’t had plastic surgery, such as Kim Tae-hee, Song Hye-kyo, Jun Ji-hyun, Han Ga-in, and many more. Our SM Entertainment's Lim Yoon-ah is so beautiful and natural; you can tell at a glance that she hasn’t had any work done,” Li Mengdie quickly gave examples.

"Heh, whether they've had work done or not, you're not them, so you can't say for sure. When are you bringing them over so I can see them? I'm the most qualified to say. I can still tell the difference between a surgically enhanced face and a completely natural one," Liu Jing sneered.

“They definitely didn’t have any plastic surgery, at most they’ve had minor adjustments,” Li Mengdie retorted.

"If minor adjustments don't count as cosmetic surgery, then minimally invasive procedures can't be considered surgery either," Liu Jing said dismissively.

"I'm sick too. What's the point of discussing this with a grown man like you?" Li Mengdie snorted twice. For some reason, she didn't like Liu Jing today. She wanted to refute everything he said.

"Do you know any good clinics for minor cosmetic procedures? Could you recommend a few to me later?" Liu Jing asked.

"You want to get some minor adjustments too?" Li Mengdie looked Liu Jing up and down. Such a perfect physique, his pectoral muscles were drool-worthy—why would he need adjustments? Could it be…

"Your armpit hair is too messy; you need some minor cosmetic procedures." Liu Jing glanced sideways, wondering where he was looking; most people only get minor cosmetic procedures on their faces.

"Pah!" Li Mengdie spat lightly, forgetting that this guy was a hooligan.

Liu Jing certainly didn't get minor cosmetic surgery himself; he found it for Yang Mi.

A while ago in Yandu, Little Lion wanted to have a mole removed from between his eyebrows. When he consulted a fortune teller, the fortune teller said that the mole was bad for his marriage.

Yang Mi was also standing nearby, advising her not to order, saying that with Liu Jing around, she would never get married in her life.

The little lion was furious; it caught Yang Mi and started tearing and biting her.

Yang Mi felt wronged. "It's not that I don't want to marry you, it's that he won't let you get married, and he won't marry you either."

The little lion got even angrier and tore Yang Mi's clothes off.

After things calmed down, Yang Mi said she wanted to get minor cosmetic surgery because her face was a bit round.

The little lion chuckled and said, "Please, figure out what a square is and what a circle is."

Yang Mi was furious and tore Liu Shishi's clothes off.

Two dogs fight, play off.

Liu Jing intervened to mediate the dispute, suppressing the discord between the two women, and took the opportunity to agree to a poetry recitation and honey gathering.

Liu Jing was worried that Yang Mi would mess around recklessly. Women are capable of anything crazy for beauty. In a moment of passion, they only care about immediate beauty, regardless of the suffering they might endure or the future.

"What are you chatting about? You seem to be having a lot of fun." Sisi came out after changing her clothes.

Her costumes were custom-made, costing over ten thousand yuan each. And that wasn't even the most expensive; her "Painted Skin" costume alone cost a million yuan to make.

Even the clothes we wear every day aren't cheap.

The garment has three layers: an outer layer of wide-sleeved, sheer gown made of semi-transparent ice silk; an inner layer that is matte; and an outer layer that shimmers, creating an illusion of mist when the wearer moves. From afar, it appears pure white, but up close, it is tinged with a very faint bluish-gray, like the patina of aged jade.

The middle layer is a dark-patterned, belted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with an invisible nine-tailed fox totem embroidered on the waist, visible from certain angles. The skirt hem has hidden vein-like patterns, like flowing ribbons from a flying apsara.

The inner layer is a blood-red petticoat, with a hint of vermilion red showing through the collar and cuffs.

This outfit is specially designed; different clothes are worn depending on the occasion.

The daily scenes, all three layers are present, which further reveals the humanity within.

When transforming into a demon, the outer robe is removed.

Many of the elements in Sisi's clothes were designed by Liu Jing, making them troublesome to wear and even more troublesome to take off.

It takes a lot of time to put on and take off makeup each time.

"We were talking about... when 'Nine-Tailed Fox' is scheduled for release." Li Mengdie smiled, knowing she couldn't very well say, "We're discussing your man's armpit hair."

"Nine-Tailed Fox" was filmed around this time last year, and production is nearing completion.

However, Liu Jing suppressed the broadcast, wanting to link "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho" with "Painted Skin" and broadcast it before "Painted Skin" was released.

He tasted success with "The Sacred Flame Token," finding that it not only saved him trouble in promotion but also created a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts.

"You two talk," Sisi said, relieved. As long as they didn't talk about sperm donation, they could do whatever they wanted.

Beware of fire, theft, and best friends—it's a long and arduous task.

Liu Jing and Li Mengdie didn't have much to talk about; this girl wasn't his type. If Li Fuzhen were here, Liu Jing would love to chat with her about international affairs, financial knowledge, business management, and childbirth.

Sisi saw Fan Xiaopang and went over to say hello.

Liu Jing naturally had to follow along; a war of words could be even more hurtful.

When Fan Xiaopang arrived at the film set, he chatted with this person and that person, as if he knew everyone.

She merely glanced at Liu Jing twice, showing no intention of coming over to exchange pleasantries.

She apologized to Donnie Yen and walked towards Sissi; the two were heading in the same direction.

"Sister Bing, it's been a long time. You've become even more beautiful."

"No way, it's hideous. I just heard that a lot of people were stunned when we were filming this afternoon."

"It's all makeup. Even the ugliest person can become a beauty with the right makeup. People often say, there are no ugly women, only lazy women."

"I'm already lazy, and I'm even lazier now. I'm too lazy to even move."

"Haha, I'll treat you to dinner tonight to welcome you back and celebrate your award."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, we're best friends."

"I was in a rush during my trip to Taiwan and didn't buy any decent gifts. But I did buy a set of jewelry that I think would suit you perfectly; I fell in love with it at first sight."

"Really? Thank you, Sister Bing, you've gone to so much trouble."

"No need to thank me, we're best friends."

……

"Phew!" Liu Jing exhaled a breath of relief, immediately feeling at ease. The two were just having a normal chat, without any heated arguments.

"Are you nervous? Are you having an affair with Fan Bingbing? You're quite the lucky one," Li Mengdie asked quietly.

"Why are you everywhere?" Liu Jing frowned, he was even more of a tagalong than Yang Mi.

Ugh! Why did I bring up Yang Mi again? I shouldn't. If I accidentally say it, it'll just cause another awkward silence.

"Heh, I thought your Chinese entertainment industry was so clean, but it's nothing special." Li Mengdie sneered.

"Since it's not clean, you can leave now."

"No! I have other things to do."

"What's going on?" Liu Jing asked warily. Lee Boo-jin, you really are up to something. Are you trying to get your sister to do public relations for me?

“I’d like to see which role Sisi would be suitable for in Inception,” Li Mengdie responded.

"Inception is going to be filmed?" Liu Jing asked in surprise.

"No! My dad said we should start preparing for this movie when Lionsgate is short of funds."

"..."

Liu Jing was stunned, not quite understanding, but Li Mengdie didn't explain. She gracefully moved to chat with the two beauties.

"Liu Jing, how about a drink tonight?" Donnie Yen put his arm around Liu Jing's shoulder.

The two often had a couple of drinks during their sparring practice. They didn't drink much, maybe three or four ounces at most.

When two martial artists are together, they either get along very well or they don't get along at all.

On the first day of training, before the sparring, we had a real match.

Donnie Yen was utterly defeated, and things became harmonious from then on.

That evening, Donnie Yen wanted to win back some points at the dinner table, so he brought over a case of Moutai.

He suffered another crushing defeat, and from then on, when he drank with Liu Jing, he only drank three or four ounces.

"No, I have friends coming over, and I have to entertain them tonight," Liu Jing declined.

entertaining Li Mengdie was only one aspect of his decision. He always felt that she looked at him strangely, so he decided that as long as Li Mengdie was on set, he would not drink a drop of alcohol.

His decision was quickly met with Sisi's disapproval.

In the evening, Xixi hosted a welcome dinner for Fan Xiaopang, with Liu Jing and Li Mengdie in attendance.

The three ladies clinked glasses and drank 16-degree sake, while Liu Jing drank 100-degree water.

The three men urged Liu Jing to drink, but he remained unmoved and eventually had to give up.

Fan Xiaopang is so shrewd. After Xixi said a few words about the Golden Horse Awards, she understood Xixi's little thoughts. She was upset about her blatant flattery of Zhang Min.

She remained calm and collected, clinking two glasses of sake together, which made Qianqian laugh so hard she almost fell over.

Back at the hotel, Sisi was still pondering what Fan Xiaopang had said.

"Alas! I was blind. It turns out that acting skills are not inferior to capital, but to politics."

The judging process for the Golden Horse Awards is open to the public, although it is not an explicitly written rule, but it has always been a tradition.

There is nothing that cannot be made public at the Golden Horse Awards; an open competition is the best way to prevent any behind-the-scenes manipulation.

However, this year's selection process was not made public; the shortlist lacked a review explanation, and the final selection process still did not disclose the voting process.

The cause and effect of everything lies with "Lust, Caution". The producer used his connections and Ang Lee personally cut scenes, which is why it was able to be released in mainland China.

The pressure on the selection committee lies here: some wanted to elevate Tang Wei to the Golden Horse Best Actress award, while others firmly disagreed and hastily nominated Zhang Min for the award.

The film was taken off the screens in theaters and was soon banned.

"Go to sleep already. Drinking so much, aren't you worried about missing tomorrow's filming?" Liu Jing muttered.

"What's there to be afraid of? This little bit of alcohol is nothing. I'm in great health." Sisi patted her chest, acting as if she were a very strong woman.

"Okay, okay, you're amazing." Liu Jing didn't argue; this guy was in a high mood, so it was better to go along with him.

"It's a pity you didn't drink tonight," Sisi sighed.

"Didn't you tell me that if I unfortunately attend your girls' gathering, I can't touch a drop of alcohol?"

"Sigh! Nothing to do tonight anyway, Fan Xiaopang and you've been having an affair for a long time."

"What about Li Mengdie? If I were to sleep with her, that would be terrible."

"Hehe, looks like you really have no guts. I'd like to see what you do to Fan Xiaopang."

"Holy crap, you want to take a picture, don't you?"

"Yeah! How can we cooperate if you don't drink until you black out?"

"..."

"If men don't get drunk, women won't have a chance."

"Real torture!"

"Tch! What a spineless coward."