Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 584 It Wasn't a Waste of Time

This matter is obviously unacceptable.

But Liu Yifei slept until after 4 a.m., and when she woke up, Li Qiutang had already run away.

Liu Yifei decided to settle the score with him when he came back that night.

To prepare for settling accounts, the dim-witted Liu Yifei even practiced her arguing expressions and the words she would say in front of the mirror.

This time I absolutely cannot let him think I can't argue. He even added another one. He's really something.

I even wrote it all down in a notebook, writing down what I wanted to say, what his possible replies would be, and how I would respond.

Seeing her acting strangely, Liu Xiaoli asked her what was wrong. She said she was practicing her acting: "I want to play a shrew, so I'm practicing how to argue with people."

Liu Xiaoli laughed at her, saying, "Who would ask you to play this kind of role?"

"It's better to be prepared. Once I've practiced enough, I'll find someone to spar with."

Liu Xiaoli ignored her daughter's erratic behavior and went about her own business.

After waking up from his afternoon nap, Li Qiutang went straight to the Huairou base and served as a judge for a few days, which caused him to miss a few days of work with the crew.

"The Wandering Earth" has already produced a lot of results, such as the overall art design and the concept design of key scenes, which are basically all done and are waiting for Li Qiutang to inspect them.

The storyboard artists drew over 5000 storyboard panels, waiting to work with Li Qiutang.

The dynamic preview was adjusted and worked on simultaneously, and Li Qiutang had to review it no matter how it turned out.

Some key props were prototyped and then inspected by Li Qiutang.

The production team of "The Butterfly Lovers" had a thick stack of actor resumes, waiting for Li Qiutang to make her selection.

The play "The Butterfly Lovers" is very popular among actors, and many people want to act in it.

It remains to be seen whether Li Qiutang can make a good film, but he is a renowned director after all, and no matter what, there will always be people willing to act in his films.

The two lead actors, Liang Jiangong and Zhu Xiaoyan, attracted many celebrities eager to get roles. Not to mention Li Bingbing and Fan Bingbing, even Zhang Ziyi's agent called the producer of "The Butterfly Lovers" every few days to inquire about the news and wanted to meet with Li Qiutang.

But as I said before, if Li Qiutang were to film a stubborn woman, he would definitely choose Zhang Ziyi.

"What do you think of the two soldiers?" Li Qiutang asked her colleagues for their opinions.

"Their acting skills are both good, but they are a bit too old. They would be suitable to play a middle-aged couple, but I think it would be a bit difficult for them to play a young couple."

"I still think Nini is better."

His wife's commotion at noon really woke Li Qiutang up. Around 30 years old, married for only a few years, a mature young woman, Zhu Xiaoyan's character is indeed very similar to Liu Yifei's.

Ignoring Liu Yifei before was like being blind to one's own shortcomings; I didn't consider my wife first when I was making art films.

But now, when considering his wife, he has to face another problem: Liu Yifei is too beautiful, and she will idolize serious dramas.

This isn't him being argumentative or insisting that his wife is bad; it's genuinely a problem with Liu Yifei.

Her beauty is a sure-fire asset in commercial films, but it might not be so effective in art films.

Of course, it also depends on which director is in charge.

Li Qiutang stared blankly at the photos of more than a dozen actors applying for auditions posted on the blackboard for a moment, then said, "Let's put the actors aside for now. Have you found the venue I need?"

The story of "The Butterfly Lovers" is set in Yanjing around 08, but the production team suggested that the crew film elsewhere, except for key landmarks, due to cost considerations.

In fact, most film crews don't like filming in Beijing. The cost of living is too high; food, clothing, housing, and transportation are significantly more expensive than in other places. Traffic is also terrible, with long hours of traffic jams during rush hour and long hours between locations. Plus, there are frequent traffic restrictions. Which film crew can stand that? Another point is that most of the main cast and crew live in Beijing, so filming there doesn't feel like being on set.

These reasons are all legitimate and are industry practice. Li Qiutang would not want to film in Yanjing unless absolutely necessary.

But he wanted to film "The Butterfly Lovers" in Beijing, and no amount of persuasion could change his mind; he wanted the urban atmosphere of Beijing.

Li Qiutang has never shied away from saying that Yanjing is a city that is not suitable for living and is very boring.

Although Li Qiutang is now rich and Yanjing can meet almost all his material needs, from a creator's perspective, Yanjing is still boring.

Yanjing is a very indifferent city. It doesn't care where you come from or where you are going.

Of course, he also disliked Shanghai. Shanghai was equally indifferent, but its indifference was tinged with contempt. Shanghai looked down on all outsiders equally.

It's true that you can live well anywhere if you have money. For the rich, Beijing and Shanghai are paradises, but a city isn't built just for the rich.

Li Qiutang is not a sociologist and cannot analyze the specifics, but he knows what kind of temperament his films need.

He insisted on filming in Beijing and demanded that the location scouting team continue searching for the locations he wanted.

Li Qiutang was busy working in Huairou, while Liu Yifei was at home discussing her schedule and work with her agent and assistant.

"Sis, shall we go to the Hundred Flowers Awards next week?"

Liu Yifei received her first nomination for Best Actress at the Hundred Flowers Awards.

"Did anything happen that day?"

“If you go, I’ll postpone the Estée Lauder ad for a few days. If you don’t go, we’ll shoot the ad in Beijing that day.”

"What did the production crew say?"

"Wan Da doesn't seem to care much about this year's Hundred Flowers Awards. He said that whether the main creators go or not is entirely up to them, and that Director Li should take the lead in organizing it. He said that he has a high probability of winning Best Director." But Li Qiutang doesn't care about the Hundred Flowers Awards, and he doesn't want to organize the nominees to go to the awards ceremony.

"Shall we go?" the assistant asked Liu Yifei again, since there was only one week left and time was very tight.

Before Liu Yifei could speak, her agent coughed and said softly, "I received a call from the Hundred Flowers Awards organizing committee yesterday. They said they wanted to check our schedules, but I could tell they wanted us to go."

"They definitely want us to step in and make a statement."

"Let me finish. What he meant was that he wouldn't let us go for nothing. If we support him, they will give us something in return."

"What do you mean?" The assistant stared wide-eyed, puzzled.

"What else does it mean? Isn't it obvious?"

"We'll get a prize if we go?"

"These kinds of things can't be said too explicitly."

“Then go! Why not?” The assistant’s eyes lit up.

Liu Yifei's eyes also shone with joy. It would be bad to make a promise in advance, but Shirley Yang was a role she had played with her heart and soul, and she was confident that she had done a good job. Besides, the Hundred Flowers Awards judged popularity, so it was only right that she won this award, wasn't it?
Seeing that Liu Yifei remained silent, her agent took it as a tacit agreement and said, "Okay, I'll talk to Estée Lauder and postpone the advertising shoot for two days."

"Mmm," Liu Yifei responded softly.

Li Qiutang didn't go home until late; it wasn't intentional. He really had a lot of work to do.

Li Qiutang went upstairs in the dark. The master bedroom door was ajar, and a sliver of light shone through. Li Qiutang felt that something big was waiting for her in the room.

(End of this chapter)