Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 624 Going Home
On the 15th, the crew of "The Butterfly Lovers" completed the filming of the final scenes at the Olympic Park. The entire production started in mid-November last year and was filmed entirely in Beijing, taking four months to complete.

This should be the film that Li Qiutang filmed for the longest time, apart from "Mojin: The Lost Legend".

On the day filming wrapped, no media coverage was invited. The entire crew simply took a group photo in front of the Bird's Nest, had dinner and drinks as usual that evening, and then dispersed the next day.

However, with so many people coming and going in the Olympic Park, it's impossible that no one saw the wrap-up banner displayed by the film crew.

News of the completion of filming for "The Butterfly Lovers" and some group photos quickly circulated online, but because it was a low-budget art film that was "not very popular," its completion did not attract much attention from the public.

Only a few moviegoers and fans would care. Some of Liu Yifei's fans pointed to the wrap-up photo of Liu Yifei and Li Qiutang and joked: "Look at how distant these two are. Who would believe they're a couple?"

In the group photo, Liu Yifei is holding flowers and standing gracefully next to Li Qiutang. Li Qiutang is neither holding her hand nor hugging her. The two stand side by side like this. Liu Yifei is smiling brightly, while Li Qiutang's smile is not as beautiful, and even a little stiff, probably because filming is too tiring.

In short, the two of them certainly don't look like a couple.

Filming has wrapped up, but there's still post-production waiting for Li Qiutang. There's another film waiting for him at the Oriental Movie Metropolis.

Liu Yifei truly loves her husband; no one knows better than her how much work Li Qiutang has.

Liu Yifei thought she had worked hard enough, but Li Qiutang worked even harder than her. From the start of the preparation period for his new drama, he would work non-stop like a tightly wound spring.

After filming "The Butterfly Lovers," Li Qiutang planned to take a two-day nap to recharge before heading to the Oriental Movie Metropolis.

He's not made of iron; he still needs rest. If he had the chance to meet Zhang Yimou, he really wanted to ask him how he maintains such abundant energy, and whether he's truly been blessed by aliens.

At this point, Liu Yifei used her power as the matriarch to force Li Qiutang to rest for at least a week.

“Didn’t you say you’d go home and stay for a while after filming? I’ll go back with you.” Because she didn’t spend the Lunar New Year with her parents, Li Qiutang had promised them that she would go back after filming wrapped.

So the couple packed their suitcases and flew back to Fengtian the next day.

The parents were overjoyed to see their son and daughter-in-law return home, but they also scolded Li Qiutang: "You just left your mother-in-law alone in Yanjing? Why didn't you bring her along? They're all family."

Liu Yifei said, "My mom is going back to Jiangcheng to take care of some things recently, she's even busier than us."

Liu Yifei clearly noticed that Li Qiutang was in two completely different states in Yanjing and Fengtian.

He was clearly more relaxed in Fengtian, which was why she wanted Li Qiutang to come back.

In the evening, Li's mother cooked a large table of dishes, all of which were the young couple's favorites.

The family chatted casually about everyday things at the dinner table, relaxed and at ease.

Mr. Li asked, "Did you recruit Teacher Zhao's daughter into the film crew?"

"Hmm, I think she's quite suitable, and since we have this connection, I'll just do her a favor."

"Is she suitable? She's such a young girl."

“My play is exactly what I need – a young girl. She's at least had some experience from acting in a few plays.” Li Qiutang finished speaking and refilled her father's glass with wine. “What? Did Teacher Zhao tell you?”

"I did tell her," said Li's mother. "Her mother came to my house that day and specifically told me, and I said we don't know anything about film crews, we just want our child to perform well since we've chosen her. How did you choose her?"

“I didn’t choose her,” Li Qiutang said with a smile while eating. “Our casting team did a round of casting first, and then her mother saw that I was the director, so she told our staff that she knew me and that both of our fathers were teachers at No. 2 Middle School. Our staff thought it all made sense, so they brought her to me to see.”

It's that simple. Just then, Li Qiutang's phone rang, prompting her father to complain, "You've answered three calls in this short while. You're busier than me. You can't even eat in peace."

Mrs. Li laughed and said, "My son is more capable than you, so drink yours."

Li Qiutang glanced at the caller ID, and without going anywhere else, answered the phone right there at the dinner table: "Hello, Teacher He."

Liu Yifei's ears perked up. What did He Jiong want with him?

"Yes, filming has wrapped. Thank you, thank you. It's nothing, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Hmm, oh, that's good. I'm at home in Fengtian now, hmm, taking a few days to rest." Li Qiutang responded with "hmm" sounds.

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely go when I have time. Okay, let's get together back in Yanjing."

"Okay, okay, okay. Hmm, hmm. Hmm. Alright, hmm, okay." Then he hung up the phone.

If it were someone else, it wouldn't matter, but when the parents heard it was Teacher He, they became interested and asked him what he wanted to call.

"It's nothing. They heard I finished filming and said they had a show that was very relaxing and wanted me to come and sit down." Over the years, countless variety shows have wanted to invite Li Qiutang as a guest, but he has simply been too busy and has turned them all down.

"Back to Field?" Liu Yifei asked.

"Yes, that's the name. Have you seen it before?"

"I've watched two episodes." Liu Yifei really likes this kind of slow-paced, relaxing variety show. "In the first episode, the green beans weren't cooked properly, and Teacher Dandan got food poisoning from them. She had to be taken to the hospital for a stomach pump in the middle of the night." Liu Yifei found it hilarious to talk about.

My parents haven't seen this show, but this is definitely something worth talking about at the dinner table as gossip and entertainment.

Li Qiutang and Huang Sanshi are actually quite familiar with each other.

"He's actually a very nice person, and his professional skills are also good. He just likes to act like a senior, treating everyone as his junior, and he wants to say something to everyone."

Liu Yifei stirred up trouble: "Did he ever say anything about you?"

Li Qiutang laughed and said, "I did say that! What year was it again, 09 or 10? I hadn't won the Golden Globe yet..."

"That's not important, get to the point," Liu Yifei said.

Li Qiutang continued, "At a dinner party, he sat next to me and said," mimicking Huang Sanshi's tone, "Being a director and making films is a very tiring job. You absolutely can't do it well without putting your heart into it. Is a director just in charge of how to position the camera and how to set up the lights? It's definitely not just those things. A director is like the head of the crew; you have to coordinate and lead everyone. On set, you have to be sincere in return for sincerity. If you treat others sincerely, they will treat you sincerely and cooperate with you to make a good film. This includes actors as well; actors also need to be dedicated."

"I don't remember the specifics, but that's the gist of it. He taught me how to film on set."

"He taught you how to act?" Liu Yifei found it amusing.

“Yes, he taught me how to act,” Li Qiutang added. “I don’t even listen to my own teachers, how could I listen to him?”

At that time, Li Qiutang was already the youngest director in the 100 million yuan club and the most sought-after director in the industry.

Although there was a teacher in the family, Mr. Li seemed to think that such didactic rhetoric was inappropriate, saying, "He can't give any specific implementation methods, and he just spouts these universally applicable slogans, so of course he's not popular."

"Anyway, it was just said at the dinner table, who took it seriously? Let him say what he wants, it's up to you whether you listen or not."

Li Qiutang laughed and said, "The next time we meet will be after I win the award, and he won't say these things to me anymore. Hehe."

(End of this chapter)