Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 373 Default
After watching the sample footage in the editing room, the two went out to find a restaurant to eat.

"Honey, how's that 'Mojin: The Lost Legend' project coming along?"

"Great, everything went smoothly except for the fact that I couldn't agree on my salary."

"Why can't we reach an agreement?" Liu Yifei knew that Li Qiutang was one of the highest-paid directors in China. In her opinion, since Wan Da had hired Li Qiutang, they should have had expectations about his fee. How could they not reach an agreement?

Li Qiutang told Liu Yifei about the box office revenue sharing agreement with Wan Da: "It's not impossible to bet 10 billion with me, but you have to increase the cost to 3.2 million. I'll make you 2.5 billion in box office revenue with 10 million. If you want high returns, you have to take on high risks."

Liu Yifei naturally sided with her husband: "Which director dares to guarantee a box office of 10 billion? It's only reasonable for them to increase their costs. If they bet 3.2 million on 10 billion, they'll still make a profit even if they win."

"So we're stuck here now. Wan Da is unwilling to pay more, but the work can't stop." Li Qiutang wasn't worried that Wan Da would delay paying her. "Do you think I don't know what they're thinking? They're worried that I'll embezzle the 7000 million. After all, the production team is in my hands, and it's not impossible for me to work with several producers to do the accounting."

Liu Yifei glared at Li Qiutang: "Nonsense."

"Okay, I won't say anymore." Li Qiutang put a piece of fish on Liu Yifei's plate.

"How's your casting process going? Have you finalized it?" Liu Yifei asked cautiously.

"The main actors are basically all cast: the three tomb raiders, Big Gold Tooth, and the villain Ying Caihong. Only Ying Caihong's two henchmen are still uncast. I don't care about those two henchmen." I have to leave some food for my subordinates.

"Where's Shirley Yang? Who did you book?"

Li Qiutang looked at Liu Yifei as if she were an idiot: "Are you sick?" But then she realized what she meant and laughed: "Oh—you want to act, but you're too embarrassed to say so, right? You're testing me here."

When her thoughts were exposed, Liu Yifei blushed deeply and said anxiously, "Can't I act in a drama about my own husband?"

“Sure, just say it,” Li Qiutang said, wanting to laugh more and more. “We’re all so familiar with each other, we can discuss anything.”

The more Li Qiutang laughed, the more Liu Yifei felt she was losing face: "You're still laughing!"

"Okay, okay, I won't laugh anymore." But Li Qiutang couldn't suppress the smile. "Did you think about it for a long time before telling me?"

"Don't be so narcissistic. I've been thinking about this for a long time. I was just asking casually. I have plenty of roles coming my way." Liu Yifei was still trying to save face.

Li Qiutang asked, "Didn't those bosses tell you?" Li Qiutang felt that this was their job.

"If I had a question, I wouldn't be asking you!"

"It was an oversight at work," Li Qiutang said with a smile.

"You're not allowed to laugh!" Liu Yifei felt incredibly embarrassed tonight.

"You still care whether I laugh or not?" Li Qiutang tugged at her hand.

After they finished eating, it was almost 10 o'clock. The mall was about to close and there were very few people, but they still took advantage of the time to go shopping at the supermarket, buy some fruit, and then buy some daily necessities at the checkout counter.

On Saturday of Christmas week, Liu Yifei arrived at the Huairou preparation base for "Mojin: The Lost Legend" and signed an actor contract with the crew, officially landing the role of Shirley Yang.

The producer in charge of signing the contract asked curiously, "We've been waiting for you, why are you only arriving now?" Liu Yifei was too embarrassed to admit it was due to negligence, and simply said, "I've been quite busy lately, but it's not too late, is it?"

"It's not too late to sign a contract before the New Year," the producer said. "We'll talk to your agent again in a few days to check the schedule and try to get the work done before the holiday." This year, the New Year is earlier than usual, and the crew has tentatively scheduled to have a holiday on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month.

Given Wan Da's high-profile approach to the "Mojin: The Lost Legend" project, it's impossible for Liu Yifei to sign a contract without publicity.

Liu Ye signed with Hu Bayi, but Wan Da didn't promote it at all, because Wan Da knew very well that Liu Yifei was the most bankable actress in the entire cast besides Li Qiutang.

However, the news was not leaked through WanDa's official channels, but rather through a Weibo marketing account.

"Wanda's latest update on 'Ghost Blows Out the Light': Liu Yifei has won the competition against Zhang Ziyi and has been confirmed to play Shirley Yang. The contract was signed last Saturday." Wanda only requested the marketing account to announce Liu Yifei's casting, but unexpectedly, the account added a follow-up:
"This is Liu Yifei and Li Qiutang's first collaboration since 'In Time'. Both collaborations involve top-tier resources in the industry, so the netizens' speculation is probably true. It's just a question of whether the fans can accept it."

What speculation? Of course, it's speculation about the two being in a relationship.

However, Liu Yifei's fans are actually accepting that she's in a relationship. After changing her profile picture, wearing matching outfits, and posting a selfie in white a while ago, fans have basically assumed that Liu Yifei is dating.

If the subject is a top director like Li Qiutang, that would be the best outcome.

Aside from a few extreme fans who think Li Qiutang isn't handsome enough and doesn't deserve the "Fairy Sister" (Li Qiutang's nickname), most fans are very friendly towards Li Qiutang.

Li Qiutang may not be as handsome as the big men in the entertainment industry, but he is definitely good-looking. What's more, he is a director, and an extremely successful one at that. Why would a director need to be so good-looking?
Given that Liu Yifei has been securing roles in autumn productions for the past few years, and now she's confirmed to star in "Mojin: The Lost Legend," reuniting with Li Qiutang, it's basically confirmed by outsiders that the two are indeed together.

This news has not been confirmed by Wan Da or the "Mojin: The Lost Legend" production team, but neither of them has denied it.

It was expected that public opinion would focus on "Mojin: The Lost Legend," but netizens were more interested in the relationship between Li Qiutang and Liu Yifei.

"I respect and wish them well. Li Qiutang is considered one of the best directors in the industry, and the two were classmates in the same year. It's fair to say that Qianqian and he are a good match."

“I’ve fantasized about who Xixi would end up with, and Li Qiutang is indeed a good match. They are about the same age, have common interests, and in terms of industry reputation and influence, Li Qiutang is even higher than Yifei, so he can take good care of her.”

"I object! Li Qiutang is from Northeast China, and it's too cold there. Yifei won't be used to it!" This perspective is quite novel.

"Li Qiutang's achievements are too outstanding; she's a perfect match for anyone in the industry, including the 'Fairy Sister' (Li Qiutang's nickname)." This must be a fan of Li Qiutang.

"Finally, I can say it. Their relationship is an open secret in the industry. Many people in the industry know about it, but they just don't say it."

It would be a lie to say that Wan Da had no idea about this, but Li Qiutang and Liu Yifei really had no choice. They didn't want the public to pay too much attention to their relationship, but announcing that Liu Yifei would play Shirley Yang would inevitably cause such discussions.

Looking at it this way, the end of the year in the entertainment industry is full of good news. In November, Liu Shishi and Wu Qilong officially announced their relationship, and after Christmas in December, Liu Yifei and Li Qiutang tacitly acknowledged their relationship in a way that no one expected.

Fortunately, another event pushed Liu Yifei off the headlines: Zhang Yimou admitted in an interview to having more children than allowed and publicly apologized.

His attitude was very sincere: "I made a mistake, and I don't blame anyone else."

But the audience didn't seem to blame him; instead, they joked that the Imperial Advisor was very energetic and prolific.

(End of this chapter)