Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 765 You Will Become the Most Famous Actress in the Country
Li Qiutang only learned upon returning that Liu Yifei had already brought her parents-in-law from Fengtian to Yanjing.

He's been out promoting his movie for the past month, and he's basically neglected his family. It's not that he doesn't want to, but he simply can't manage it all.

He originally said he wouldn't bring his parents over since he couldn't make it through the New Year; he planned to take Liu Yifei home for a few days after he finished his busy period.

"If you're so immature, how could I be so immature?" Liu Yifei said with a hint of reproach.

"Okay, I was immature, but I married a sensible wife. Come here and let your husband give you a kiss."

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Liu Yifei said with a laugh, glancing at her mother not far away.

It's not even dark yet, why are you kissing and teasing me?

It was on New Year's Eve, when the family was preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner, that Li Qiutang and her parents learned that Liu Yifei had declined the invitation to that night's Spring Festival Gala.

This year, Liu Yifei won the first Cannes Best Actress award for a mainland Chinese actress, enjoying immense popularity. It's perfectly reasonable that she received an invitation to the Spring Festival Gala.

"I'd rather stay home than go singing." He said it with such nonchalance.

The parents-in-law were quite disappointed.

The Spring Festival Gala is such a great opportunity.

Li Qiutang didn't seem to care: "If you don't want to go, you don't have to. The pressure of performing on the Spring Festival Gala is too great. From the moment you receive the invitation until the end of the performance, you won't get a good night's sleep. It's better to watch people perform at home than to perform on stage." As she spoke, she switched the TV in the restaurant to Channel 1.

The TV is showing a special program before the Spring Festival Gala performance.

The guest happened to be Dilraba, who was making dumplings for the first time on the Spring Festival Gala. Li's mother, who was making dumplings, looked up at the TV and said, "This little girl is really beautiful."

"Your daughter-in-law doesn't get pregnant?"

Liu Yifei, who was learning to make dumplings next to her mother-in-law, said, "Don't take me with you."

After not seeing his wife for almost half a month, Li Qiutang has been doing all sorts of things to show his love for her. He's really shameless.

"I'm praising you," Li Qiutang said.

"Forget it, I can't accept your praise," Liu Yifei said with a smile.

Li Qiutang peeked at the table and said, "You can tell at a glance which ones my mom made and which ones you made. Yours are so ugly. Look at that one, it's all cracked, it'll fall apart as soon as it hits the pot."

"Shut up." Li's mother slapped her son. "You're already fed, why are you complaining? If you have nothing to do, go to the kitchen and help your mother-in-law with some chores."

Liu Xiaoli, who was in the kitchen, said, "I don't need him here. I can manage the kitchen by myself. He just makes things worse when he comes in."

“Look,” Li Qiutang shrugged.

"Where's your dad?"

"I don't know. We drove off after dinner and I don't know where we went."

"Your dad is really capable; he can even make a living in Beijing."

“Who knows, maybe some old classmates or colleagues are in Beijing?” Liu Yifei defended her father-in-law. “Dad has been teaching for decades, with students all over the world. It’s possible that some of his students are in Beijing. Is Dad going to be promoted to vice principal?”

Mrs. Li nodded: "Yes, your dad will retire in five years. He's just getting a promotion and a raise before he retires."

Li Qiutang was puzzled: "No, even my own son didn't know he was going to be promoted to vice principal, how did you know?"

Li's mother also scolded him: "How dare you say that? You don't care about your dad as much as Yifei does."

"I was thinking he'd retire in a few years, that being the dean of students would be enough, but who knew he'd be promoted to vice principal? Does that mean he doesn't have to teach anymore?"

“Your dad wants to take the job, but he'll only be teaching one class.”

Just then, Li's father's voice came from outside the door, and it sounded like he had brought guests with him.

It's New Year's Eve, everyone at home is preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, why are you bringing guests? His mother and wife both looked at Li Qiutang, their meaning clear: you're the only one with nothing to do, why don't you go and greet them?

"Is this your first time here? Come on, come on, hahaha."

"It's convenient to spend the Spring Festival in Yanjing. Is this your family's first time spending the Spring Festival in Yanjing?"

Amidst Teacher Li's laughter, Li Qiutang went out to greet them, only to find that it was none other than Zhao Jinmai and his family of three.

Before Li Qiutang could say anything, Zhao Jinmai called out "Director" first.

Zhao Jinmai was already 17 years old, a grown woman, but Li Qiutang still teased her: "Are you that afraid of me? You're calling out so reluctantly, we just met a few days ago."

Zhao Jinmai said, "Who on set isn't afraid of you?"

This made the parents burst into laughter.

Welcoming the person in and exchanging pleasantries goes without saying.

The Zhao family of three came not for any other reason than to visit and chat.

Naturally, we have to talk about "The Wandering Earth," which will be released tomorrow.

Even though Zhao Jinmai was taken to filming by her mother when she was young, her parents didn't really know much about the entertainment industry before.

So I had no idea that Teacher Li's son was a director.

In recent years, as Zhao Jinmai has grown up and acted in more dramas, her parents have come to know more about Li Qiutang.

It turns out they were saying that Teacher Li's son is an excellent director, meaning he stands out from the crowd.

The Zhao family hadn't initially decided to let their daughter pursue a career in the entertainment industry; they were thinking of sending her to university and finding a job. But now it seems they've changed their minds and decided to have Zhao Jinmai take the art exam to study acting and become an actress.

"That's great. After all, she's been acting since she was a child, so her professional exams are definitely not a problem. As long as she doesn't fall behind in her academic studies, she'll definitely be fine for next year's art exams."

"So, do you think it's better to apply to film school or drama school?"

Li Qiutang and Liu Yifei exchanged a glance and smiled. Li Qiutang said, "Yifei and I are both from the Film Academy, but I'm not biased. In terms of acting education, the Drama Academy is better, but the Film Academy is definitely more than capable of teaching students. It all depends on how you study. Take the exam first, and then choose your path."

But the parents had their own concerns: "The elimination rate for art exams is so high, not to mention top schools like film academies and drama academies, the acceptance rate must be even lower."

Zhao's parents are both teachers, but they don't really know much about the art exams.

Li Qiutang said what they wanted to hear: "Mai Mai, study hard for the exam. As long as you pass, I'll take care of the rest."

It wouldn't be a problem for Li Qiutang to squeeze one or two people into the three major academies.

Then the conversation turned to Zhao Jinmai's personal development. Many agencies wanted to sign her, but Zhao's mother admitted that she wasn't a professional and wanted to find a reliable agency for her daughter.

"How about letting Mai Mai work at your company?" Given the relationship between the two companies, it would indeed be better to place Zhao Jinmai with Li Qiutang than with other companies, so this request is not unreasonable.

Li Qiutang directly stated, "Our company doesn't sign artists." However, she added, "But we have partner agencies that are very professional. If Mai Mai wants to go, I can arrange it."

It's said that people from Northeast China love to use connections, but if they have connections, why don't they use them? It's as if everyone from the four cardinal directions is impartial and fair.

After chatting for a few more minutes, the three members of the Zhao family were about to leave. Mr. Li warmly invited them to stay for dinner, but it was the 30th of the month, and there was no reason for them to eat at someone else's house.

"We've made a reservation at the restaurant; we'll eat out tonight. You guys are busy, we'll be going now."

Li Qiutang saw the group off and made an appointment with Zhao Jinmai to meet at the roadshow on the second day of the Lunar New Year: "The day after tomorrow, you will become the most famous actress in the country."

17-year-old Zhao Jinmai obviously didn't believe it.

(End of this chapter)