Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 344 The Two Beauties Team Up to Target Yang Mi

"Liu Yifei..."

A roar startled the carefree birds, made the playful Wangcai pee its pants, and even scared the sleeping Dongdong...

Wangcai is a Labrador Retriever owned by Xixi. It originally had two names, Xiaoxi and Xiaomu. In the end, the siblings agreed to change its name to Dabai.

Sisi was playing with the dog, Dabai, using a pet ball. Dabai was traumatized by Liu Jing's voice and always felt that its male owner was more of a dog than itself. Liu Jing suddenly yelled, scaring Dabai so much that it peed its pants.

Dongdong is a black cat owned by Xixi, a ball of black fur. Its original name was Mutou (Wood), but after she scolded its owner, it was changed to Dongdong.

The big black cat was being petted comfortably by Tang Yan, purring contentedly with its eyes half-closed. Hearing Liu Jing's roar, it instantly bristled, jumped off Tang Yan's lap, used Shu Chang's head as a springboard, and climbed up the pomegranate tree in a few strides.

"Oh my god, Dongdong, you're just as annoying as Wood. What's he yelling about?" Shu Chang was also startled, spilling her drink all over herself.

"You must be dreaming." Sisi smiled, feeling quite proud of her masterpiece.

She was a little disappointed that she had discovered it before even leaving the house.

"You've slept for a whole day and night, you must be exhausted." Zhang Liangying was looking at the sheet music; she had important business to attend to today.

Liu Jing was busy with the opening ceremony some time ago and declined all other engagements.

The opening ceremony ended the day before yesterday, and Zhang Liangying came to see me today, mainly because of "Painting Heart".

Although she had already recorded the song, she still felt unsure of herself without having the songwriter review it.

"Painted Skin" is scheduled for release on September 28th. Today is August 10th, so there's still over a month to go. The promotional campaign has already begun, and in addition to the usual methods, there are two other approaches.

Zhang Liangying will be on a tour in October, and the song "Painted Heart" will be performed at the concert, which is also a way of promoting "Painted Skin".

Meanwhile, on August 25th, "My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox" was broadcast on Youku and Tudou, in which Xixi played a nine-tailed fox and was called "the most beautiful female demon".

The show aired in South Korea in June and topped the ratings. While not exceptionally high, it generated phenomenal popularity in Southeast Asia.

Both films feature Sissi playing a fox spirit, and choosing this time to air them on domestic online platforms is a way to promote "Painted Skin."

"He's really pushing himself too hard. He's not even the director, why does he have to go to all this trouble? The work belongs to everyone, the honor belongs to the collective, and the achievement is just an individual's." Shu Chang complained as she wiped the stains.

"Look at you, so petty. Where's your magnanimity?" Sisi complained.

"So he's a man, and I'm a woman," Shu Chang said with a grin.

Sisi pouted. When they first met, Shu Chang wanted to be a man and took advantage of her and Jing Tian quite a bit. But now that he's met a blockhead, he's obediently become a woman.

"It must have been a nightmare." Tang Yan wasn't scared by Liu Jing, but she was terrified by Dongdong and had just recovered.

"Gah gah, I'm going to check, don't scare me so much I wet the bed." Shu Chang yelled twice and ran into the house.

She's smart; Liu Jing's outburst of anger clearly indicates that Qianqian has done something excessive.

She would regret it for the rest of her life if she didn't investigate.

"Hey, be careful..." Sisi had just started to speak when the silly girl disappeared. She muttered to herself, "Be careful not to run into trouble, he might take it out on you."

A dozen minutes later, Shu Chang came out limping and clutching her buttocks.

"Haha, Si..." Shu Chang laughed and grinned, "Qianqian, well done, next time I'll draw him a turtle."

"What?" Tang Yan asked curiously.

Zhang Liangying perked up her ears; she was actually more curious about where to draw the turtle. Wow, the fairy sister really knows how to have fun.

"Haha, when I came in just now, guess what happened?" Shu Chang said mysteriously.

"I won't guess." Tang Yan pouted. What else could it be? What did Qianqian draw on the wooden face?

"Tangtang, do you even know how to do stand-up comedy? How can you respond like that?" Shu Chang complained.

"Changchang, go buy some food. Tangtang, let's tidy up this place. Liangying, you go to the karaoke room to get ready. After dinner, I won't keep you any longer; Tangtang and I are flying to Shanghai tomorrow." Xixi glared at Shuchang. *Do you want that blockhead to beat you up again?*

Shu Chang felt a chill run down her spine. She had almost forgotten that Mu Tou was even more concerned about his image than his sister, and also petty. With an outsider present, if his embarrassing behavior were exposed, the next time it wouldn't just be a spanking.

"I'm going to buy groceries." With that thought, Shu Chang quickly hopped on her electric scooter; she was a pro at grocery shopping.

Sisi is very busy; she wouldn't have come back to watch the opening ceremony if Liu Jing hadn't participated.

The organizing committee invited her to participate in the closing ceremony, but she declined, saying that "Liu Jing's participation is enough."

Filming for "Chinese Paladin 8" began on August 20th, with priority given to shooting the scenes of other characters, while Liu Jing's scenes were filmed last.

Sisi is one of the producers, and this isn't just a nominal position; she's a real producer.

She will graduate with her master's degree next year and plans to use these as the basis for her thesis.

With the release date set for "Painted Skin," Liu Jing doesn't have time for promotions; she has to take on the main role.

The promotional video "Searching for Dreams in Wuzhong" will be filmed in September. The director is Tong Nian, and she has a lot of preparation work to do.

As the owner of Red Starwood, she naturally couldn't stand idly by when Zhang Liangying was going to hold a concert.

"My Girlfriend is a Gumiho" is being broadcast in various places, and she needs to do some promotion.

With the emergence of the concept of the most beautiful female demon, she received a lot of business deals and endorsements, making money hand over fist.

With the manor construction funds tight, Sister Li turned a blind eye, and Liu Jing was completely plundered by her. Of course, she wanted to take the opportunity to make money to subsidize her own manor.

As for why Sister Li sat idly by, it's because in her view, that place wasn't for raising children; it was more like a zoo.

She tricked Sister Li out of the first batch of funds under the pretense of raising a child, and Sister Li never gave her a second batch.

So, her close friends are well aware of just how busy Sisi is.

Liu Jing slept for a whole day and night, of course, to level up. He needed to reach the required level of cultural and entertainment awareness; he didn't want to wait until the New Year.

On the night of August 9th, Teacher An left him and Qianqian at the door; it was already past 8 a.m.

The two returned home, ate something, and finished washing up at 3:30 a.m.

[The system has met the upgrade requirements and will upgrade soon, which will take 24 hours. During the upgrade, the host's body will be strengthened.]

There were no activities planned after the meal. Liu Jing told Qianqian that she needed to take a long nap, and no one was allowed in the room until he woke up. He told her not to panic if anything unusual happened, and to simply ignore it.

Sisi instantly understood what was going on. She was still a little sleepy, but she immediately perked up.

She was still uneasy. After Liu Jing gave her instructions, she felt unsafe everywhere. It wasn't until six or seven in the morning, when she couldn't stay awake any longer and seeing that Liu Jing seemed normal, that she turned on all the security systems, locked all the doors, and finally lay down to sleep next to Liu Jing.

She couldn't sleep soundly and often woke up startled. She slept like this until after midnight, when she could no longer fall asleep.

During Liu Jing's upgrade, there were no abnormalities, except that his body temperature was a little high.

As Sisi gazed at the sleeping Liu Jing, she gradually drifted into a daze. She felt that at this moment, the blockhead was at his most adorable, most worry-free, most honest, and most handsome...

As she pondered, she crept closer to the dressing table, picked up her tools and cosmetics, and a wicked idea popped into her head.

This time, she took on the role of makeup artist, transforming Liu Jing into a girl. She gave him fair skin, long false eyelashes, rosy lips, and even blush and eyeshadow.

Sisi was very satisfied. She then put a red mark on Liu Jing's forehead, helped him put on a wig, and took many photos.

If Shu Chang hadn't arrived, she would have liked to change Liu Jing into a dress.

For the rest of the time, Xixi stayed in the courtyard, warning the three guests that no one was allowed to approach the house before Liu Jing woke up, or they would turn on her.

Liu Jing had no idea that Shu Chang had saved him once. At that time, he was leveling up and had no sense of it, letting Qianqian do whatever she wanted.

He didn't expect that he would sleep for nearly thirty hours.

The first thing he did upon waking up was not to check the system, but to go straight to the bathroom to relieve himself.

He glanced up and saw himself in the mirror, rubbed his eyes a couple of times, and then let out a roar, "Liu Yifei..."

The bathroom was piled high with all of Qianqian's toiletries. Liu Jing was figuring out their uses when Shu Chang ran over, called him "wife," and giggled as she leaned against the door.

Liu Jing was furious. He pinned Shu Chang to the washbasin and slapped her buttocks dozens of times.

The beating didn't take more than ten minutes, and for the rest of the time, the passive and obedient Shu Chang washed Liu Jing's face.

Liu Jing couldn't understand those cleaning and cosmetic products, but Shu Chang knew them inside and out.

He knew Zhang Liangying was coming today, and it was arranged in advance.

Shu Chang and Tang Yan were also there, which wasn't surprising. These two were not only Xixi's best friends, but also inseparable sisters.

Liu Jing washed his face, sent Shu Chang out, took a nice hot shower, and began to check the changes in the system and himself.

Each upgrade doesn't bring significant external changes to strength and speed, but they gradually improve over time. However, the internal enhancements, such as vitality, immunity, and recovery, are immediately noticeable.

With his body becoming increasingly perfect, Liu Jing indulged in a moment of self-admiration before finally paying attention to the changes in the system.

[Host: Liu Jing]

[Level: 4 (Essentially requires 100 million points to upgrade)]

[Bond: 9/12]

[Entertainment Atmosphere: 529.3 million]

【Number of draws: 0】

[Ability 1: Daily Appraisal - Consumes a certain amount of Literary and Entertainment Energy to obtain basic information about an item.]

[Ability Two: Photographic memory; once seen carefully, it can be remembered.]

[Skill 3: Engaging in regular physical activity is beneficial for the physical and mental health of both partners.]

[Ability Four: Virtual Casting. Input script and actor information, consume varying amounts of entertainment energy, and preview the casting effect.] With three extra bond slots available, Liu Jing already has two candidates in mind: his assistant and Tong Liya. As for the third candidate, he'll slowly choose from the pool of potential suitors; there are quite a few.

Upgrading from level four to level five requires 100 million points, as expected. However, the next upgrade requires a prerequisite: all twelve bonds must be upgraded before Liu Jing can advance to level five.

Liu Jing tested the showerhead, consuming 100 points of "entertainment energy" on the first try, before the name, brand, production date, and function appeared...

He examined the Yuan blue-and-white porcelain treasured in his home, spending 10,000 points for the second time. The production date was from the Yuan Dynasty, confirming it was indeed genuine.

The identification process has become a mere identification, dry and lifeless, lacking the authentic, dog-like quality of a professional system.

Liu Jing felt that this ability had deteriorated and stopped revealing information about the future.

The second ability is photographic memory, which no longer consumes artistic energy. As long as he memorizes with his heart, he can achieve the effect of photographic memory.

The third ability has also undergone a subtle change, from being beneficial to the other party to being beneficial to both parties.

The newly added fourth ability is entirely designed for the director.

By inputting the script and actor information, you can preview the effect.

As he entered the script for "Chinese Paladin 3", his mind suddenly entered a virtual space where blank figures appeared, with character names floating above their heads.

With a thought, Liu Jing transformed Tang Xuejian into Yang Mi, Long Kui into Liu Shishi, Zi Xuan into Tang Yan, and himself into Jing Tian.

He randomly picked a scene, and the system notification indicated that it would consume one point of entertainment energy per minute.

A little bit of effort, practically nothing. Liu Jing started without hesitation, and the four blank characters instantly came to life. Following the script, the characters without any input were just blank blanks.

Liu Jing entered Tong Liya into the Holy Maiden's register. The system prompted that Tong Liya was not a bond and that actor information needed to be entered. One hundred points of Entertainment Qi were needed to create Tong Liya's file. Once entered, it would be permanently valid.

One hundred points is nothing; the appearance of five vivid characters not only allows us to see how the actors portray their roles, but also how to better interpret this scene.

Liu Jing gradually figured it out; the more characters he entered, the more powerful the pre-drama function became. This was more than just virtual casting; it was practically virtual pre-drama.

He had a sudden thought and entered Tong Liya into Zi Xuan, but in the end he still felt that Tang Yan was better suited to the role.

"I'll ask Xixi for a copy of the casting list for 'Chinese Paladin 3' later, and enter it all in. I'll check the effect first," Liu Jing muttered. With this ability, filming would be much smoother and more efficient.

However, this is not absolute. The image generated by the system is indeed based on the actor, but it is based on his usual performance.

In reality, actors' performances are not static in different scenarios; they may deliver an exceptional performance or be subject to negative interference.

A good director is good at tapping into the potential of actors and refining each take to achieve the desired effect.

The rehearsal was lifelike but not very realistic; after all, it wasn't real. Upon closer inspection, one could still see the mechanical and rigid nature, lacking spirit and vitality.

This ability can be used as a reference, but it cannot be taken as the sole basis for decision-making.

Liu Jing paced back and forth in the living room, lost in thought. This newly emerged ability was completely different from the others; it was a more advanced program.

There are many aspects that can be learned from to improve the casting system he commissioned the software company to develop. However, given his limited programming knowledge, many functions are likely still unavailable.

"Artificial intelligence, it seems we need to invest in AI. This is just a glimpse into the bigger picture; the future of the intelligent industry will definitely exceed our imagination. Perhaps one day, making movies will no longer require actors or locations. Just input the script, model virtual actors, and build virtual scenes to create a film or television series. But if that day truly comes, will the film and television industry still exist?" Liu Jing murmured.

"Mu Tou, Chang Chang has bought the food. You should eat first. After you finish eating, we'll help Liang Ying adjust her diet." Qian Qian carried the food box into the house. Her younger brother hadn't eaten in so long, so work could wait.

She frowned. That bastard was wrapped in a bath towel, acting all nonchalant and disrespectful.

“Okay! Send me a copy of the casting results for ‘Chinese Paladin 3’, I need it,” Liu Jing replied.

"Stop at the desk in the study... Change your clothes first." Qianqian hurriedly went to the bedroom, found a clean set of clothes, and handed them to Liu Jing.

It wouldn't matter if it were just Tang Yan and Shu Chang singing, but Zhang Liangying is in the karaoke room, and it would be bad if she saw them later.

Liu Jing quickly changed his clothes and rushed into the study. Qianqian sighed, "You just woke up and you're already working. You don't even care about your two little lovers outside. You're really something."

He's been busy with the opening ceremony lately and hasn't paid much attention to the preparations for "Chinese Paladin 3." This is the first time he's seen the detailed cast list.

Besides Yang Mi, Liu Shishi, Tang Yan, and Tong Liya, he also saw Zhao Liying.

"Tsk tsk, casting Zhao Liying as Tang Xuejian's maid, isn't that just asking for trouble?" Liu Jing muttered, then looked at the documents and got a headache.

Zhao Liying is a nobody, he might glance at her at most, she doesn't give him any headaches. The main problem is those other girls, and now there's Tong Liya too.

If Sissi hadn't been on set, he could have easily kept those guys in check.

But there's another one, Sisi...

Liu Jing rubbed his temples. "No, I have to find something for Qianqian to do. I can't let her stay on set all the time."

It seems like Sissi didn't take on any roles this year? Oh, she did, "Painted Skin" was filmed this year.

"Wood, come eat! Come shopping with us this afternoon!" Shu Chang shouted from the living room.

"The three of us can go, so as not to interfere with Liangying's important business," Qianqian objected.

"Let's watch a movie tonight," Shu Chang suggested again.

"Go by yourself." Sisi didn't want to go; she was flying away tomorrow, and she had to collect the grain tonight.

"Changchang, why are you back in Yandu today? That's really strange." Liu Jing said, and before Shu Chang could respond, he quickly added, "Don't tell me you're watching the Olympics, you didn't even come to the opening ceremony."

"Um, we need to reshoot a few scenes for 'If You Are the One' in Yandu." Liu Jing beat her to it, leaving her no choice but to answer honestly.

"If You Are the One? They actually managed to snag this movie, not bad," Liu Jing exclaimed.

"Of course, I want to snatch the role from 'If You Are the One.' Apart from Zhou Xun and Li Bingbing, no one else can compete with me," Shu Chang said proudly.

"Singing is going to win this year's Golden Eagle Goddess award. You've been away for three days, shouldn't you look at me with new eyes?" Tang Yan said with a smile.

"Her? Ha, no chance." Liu Jing shook his head.

"Who do you think you are?" Shu Chang said unhappily.

"Silly Girl and Xiaoyu did bring you a lot of popularity. Among young actors, your popularity is second only to Xixi. But you have no chance of winning the Golden Eagle Goddess award based on these two roles."

"Why? Shu Chang is one of the candidates, but none of the others, except for Xi Xi, are as popular as her." Tang Yan asked, puzzled.

"The Golden Eagle Goddess is a product of the Golden Eagle Awards, organized by Hunan TV, supposedly to select the most popular young artist. But that's just the surface. The core criteria are the artist's deep cooperation with Hunan TV and the alignment of the platform's interests. 'Magic Phone' was indeed a hit, breaking 5% in CCTV ratings. This year, in the drama field, there's no actress more popular than Chang Chang. But both of these dramas were produced by CCTV, not Hunan TV. Sha Niu's explosive popularity is CCTV's glory; Hunan TV won't crown an artist from a rival platform. Besides, Chang Chang hasn't had any dramas broadcast on Hunan TV in the past two years, nor has she participated in any Hunan TV variety shows, so the platform's promotional motivation is almost zero." Liu Jing took a sip of water and concluded, "The Golden Eagle Goddess is essentially an award reserved for Hunan TV. Rather than selecting an actress, it's more like choosing an annual spokesperson."

"Want to make a bet? I want to win the Golden Eagle Goddess..." Shu Chang walked over and put her arm around Liu Jing's shoulder.

"No gambling." Liu Jing refused before Shu Chang could finish speaking.

"You..." Shu Chang was furious. She was determined to become the Golden Eagle Goddess this time and had put in a lot of effort.

"Who are the other candidates?" Liu Jing asked.

“XiXi, Li Xiaolu, Yang Mi, and Sun Li,” Tang Yan responded.

"Hmm! Xixi won last year, so she was just a symbolic nominee. Sun Li's 'Sweet Honey' was popular, but it mainly aired on Jiangsu TV, and her agent publicly said that Hunan TV had editing issues, so she'll probably be a runner-up like Changchang this time. It seems that this year's Golden Eagle Goddess will be either... uh, Yang Mi or Li Xiaolu." Liu Jing pondered for a moment, then continued to analyze, "Li Xiaolu has signed several customized drama contracts with Hunan TV, endorses several high-quality advertisements for Hunan TV, and is frequently active in Hunan TV's variety shows. She's always available and very cooperative, and has been listed as an S-level cooperative artist by Hunan TV. As for Yang Mi, 'Struggle' was a hit on Hunan TV, causing a ratings frenzy, which is Yang Mi's advantage."

"Yang Mi's film 'Wang Zhaojun' also earned her a nomination for Best Actress at this year's Golden Eagle Awards," Tang Yan added.

"No wonder Changchang is so energetic; she doesn't want to be outdone by Yang Mi," Liu Jing suddenly realized.

"Tch! Who does Yang Mi think she is..."

"Third brother," Tang Yan interrupted.

"Hmph! She's just a perennial third-place finisher, what am I afraid of? Sisi was the first Golden Eagle Goddess, and as her good friend, of course I have to take the baton for the second time." Shu Chang said proudly.

"You're dreaming. If you win the Golden Eagle Goddess award, I'll eat the plate." Liu Jing scoffed.

"Did it get recorded?" Tang Yan turned to look at Qianqian.

"It's being recorded, it's been recording all along," Sisi said with a grin.

"Holy crap, what the hell is going on?" Liu Jing exclaimed in shock.

“Brother, seven days in the mountains are like a thousand years in the world. You’ve been in seclusion for the past few months and are unaware of the changes in the outside world. All the data you just analyzed is based on outdated information,” Tang Yan reminded him.

“Small changes in five days, big changes in ten days, that’s just how the world is,” Shu Chang responded.

"Has Hunan TV changed its gender?" Liu Jing muttered.

"Of course Hunan TV hasn't changed its gender. Changchang has changed a lot in the past few months," Sisi said with a smile.

"If I don't change, I'll really become an artist with no roles to play. I owe Qianqian so much money, I have to make money. So, I'm changing my acting style, changing my mindset, and continuing to crush Yang Mi." Shu Chang said smugly.

Liu Jing was bewildered and still didn't understand.

"The results will be out at the end of August. You'll be eating a plate then." Tang Yan held up a clean plate, looking it over from all angles, as if trying to figure out where to start eating.

"That shouldn't be the case," Liu Jing muttered.

"There's nothing wrong with that. Sisi and Changchang teamed up to target Yang Mi," Tang Yan explained.

"How can we join forces?" Liu Jing asked, puzzled. What had Yang Mi done this time that had angered both heaven and man? Uh, why did I say "again"?
"I gave some endorsement deals to Shu Chang, which were aired on Hunan TV. Shu Chang signed a contract with Hunan TV for several self-produced dramas and also appeared as a guest on several variety shows." Xixi said leisurely.

"Aren't you afraid that when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman will benefit?" Liu Jing was shocked. You guys really went to great lengths to target Yang Mi.

"Killing two birds with one stone, Li Xiaolu is basically out of the game. Yang Mi isn't fighting alone either, Tang Ren is supporting her from behind." Tang Yan looked envious, "When will it be my turn?"

Liu Jing was truly impressed; thankfully, he hadn't made the bet earlier.

He sighed deeply, his emotions a jumbled mess, "You guys conspired to set me up."

"Who told you not to use a condom? Here's one for you... Ah..." Before Shu Chang could finish speaking, she clutched her arm and cried out in pain.

Sisi picked up an apple and smashed it right onto Shuchang's arm.

(End of this chapter)