Abstract Art Award Winner

Do you believe me now?

"Are you still going to say that old Beijing-style douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) is fishy?"

Zhou Le ultimately displayed his true prowess, prompting Yu Shuxin to exclaim:
"I believe it!"

"I'll never say 'fermented mung bean juice tastes fishy' again!"

"I love drinking Old Beijing Douzhi (fermented mung bean juice)!"

"It's just drinking around the edge of the street!"

This made Yu Shuxin, who was originally a picky eater, feel the charm of douzhi (fermented mung bean juice).

The two of them didn't go anywhere that day.

Although I just came from Hangzhou, which is as hot as an oven, the weather in Qingdao isn't much better.

"When will it rain a few times? If it rains, I'll definitely buy a case of beer. If it's a light drizzle, I'll take the beer and walk around in the rain while drinking; if it's a heavy rain, I'll find an eaves to sit under and drink."

Yu Shuxin lay on the bed, her two shapely legs crossed, her delicate feet tinged with a lovely pink.

"Don't you feel cold outside? You'll get soaked, just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable."

"It's alright, that's just how men are, playing ball in the rain, running in the rain, shouting in the rain."

"Okay, so do you like rainy days?"

"Of course I like it. When it rains outside, I can stop working unless I have to shoot a rain scene, but that happens very rarely. Besides, it's a great time to sleep when it rains."

Just as the two were chatting, a thunderclap suddenly sounded outside.

Immediately afterwards, large raindrops began to fall, hitting the trees and the ground repeatedly, making a noisy sound.

"No, Brother Le, it's really raining?"

What kind of mouth do you have?

"Oh my god, this is amazing."

Zhou Le thought for a moment: "That shouldn't be the case. I checked the weather forecast before going to bed last night and it said it wouldn't rain. How come it's suddenly raining so heavily? Is it because we're on the coast here that the weather changes so quickly?"

"I feel it's possible, but unlikely."

Zhou Le then picked up his phone and glanced at it casually, just in time to see that everyone in the group was chatting.

Guo Fan said it was raining, and soon after, Sha Yi in the group said that she saw Xiao Jingteng in another group, who happened to be in Qingdao today to record a song.

"Alright, the case is solved. It has nothing to do with me. It's clearly Jam Hsiao who has arrived."

"He really is a 'rain god,' it really rains wherever he goes?"

Zhou Le sighed and looked at Yu Shuxin: "Sigh, sometimes you say you're smart, but your brain is really not smart at all. If he really had that ability, would he still be able to operate? He would just be used as a strategic weapon, wouldn't he?"
Putting everything else aside, just arrange for them to live in Japan for a year, without going to any major places, but hiding on those islands. Before long, those islands will be ready for diving.

It's estimated that within a year or two, Japan will have to consider the issue of immigration.

"But this is only used as a strategic weapon. If the goal is to provide assistance, why would there be a need for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project?"
One person is equivalent to thousands of soldiers, saving the need for artificial rainmaking.

Wherever there's a need, they'll directly cover the food, lodging, and travel expenses; you just need to pay someone to help.

"Haha, I didn't know it could be done like that. If I had that ability, I would serve the country."

"You're quite insightful, but why are you so stupid?"

"Hehehe, isn't it all because of you, Brother Le, that I've gone mad? I'm a complete mess now, and you have to take the main responsibility for how I've ended up like this."

Zhou Le immediately raised his hands: "I didn't, don't slander me, don't talk nonsense."

But Zhou Le had just finished dancing and had nothing to hide from, so Yu Shuxin pounced on him like a little lion.

"good chance!"

They remained like this until the next morning, both feeling refreshed. Although their bodies were a little weak, it wasn't a big deal; after all, they were adults and could still put on an act.

"Shuxin, you go first, I'll be there in a bit."

It's very difficult for celebrities to keep their schedules completely secret.

Even if they don't actively inquire, someone will tell them.

Of course, they wouldn't go around telling everyone about these things.

Therefore, even if everyone knows this, they still have to do the superficial work.

This time, I came over on Saturday for no other reason than to visit the set and relax.

After finishing filming these past few years, I plan to go around getting free meals from people on Saturdays to take good care of my health and at least gain a little weight back before joining Zhang Yimou's film crew.

"Le'er, how did you get so thin? You're almost unrecognizable."

Everyone knew that Zhou Le had been preparing for filming recently, but they didn't expect the difference to be so great.

"Hey, it's a role, and the role requires me to lose weight, so I'll go lose weight."

Guo Fan felt extremely distressed.

"Really, Le'er, you're my good little brother. Seeing you like this really breaks my heart. Just wait, I'll find some good scripts and arrange a few passionate scenes for you, so you can act like an adult and have some fun."

Zhou Le: "???"

"Brother, thank you so much."

Nowadays, who doesn't know that most passionate scenes are just acting and pretending to be intimate?

At most, it's just a kiss or a touch, but it can't go too far. If it goes too far, people will cut out the clips after it airs and say the actors are greasy, lewd, and slutty.

It would be better not to film it at all than to film it like this.

Moreover, kissing scenes also require choosing the right person. It's hard to kiss someone Zhou Le is too familiar with, and it's hard to kiss someone he's too unfamiliar with.

So the simplest solution is not to take pictures.

Having eaten and seen so much, I'm not usually that miserable. Even if I really crave it, finding someone to kiss is incredibly easy.

"Brother Fan, stop worrying about that. Instead of wasting your time, think about how to make The Wandering Earth 2's box office several times higher and help the brothers make more money. When you make the third one, let's make an unprecedented blockbuster. We'll not only break domestic box office records, but also go international."

Guo Fan clenched his fist: "You're right. We can't always rely on foreign science fiction films to export to us. We need to go out into the world more often! I'm entrusting this arduous task to you, Le'er. I hope I can see that day before I die."

Zhou Le: "???"

"No, why are you bringing this up again? What does this have to do with me? I'm not a sci-fi director."

At this moment, Wu Jing walked out from the side and patted Guo Fan on the shoulder: "What Director Guo means is that after you buy 'The Three-Body Problem,' the heavy responsibility of developing 'The Three-Body Problem' will fall on your shoulders. Although Tencent is also working on it, after all, you have a pretty complete set of copyrights, and I guess there aren't many people besides you who are brave enough to actually make 'The Three-Body Problem.'"

"Brother Fan, now that you mention it, I really regret it a bit. Now I understand why you chose 'The Wandering Earth' and not something else back then."

"Haha, I didn't choose anything else because I'm not good enough, so this is all I can do. And to be honest, after filming, I watched it myself, and the first one still had many flaws. And although I've learned a lot in this one, it's inevitable that there will still be many flaws, which is unavoidable. But even if other actors have shortcomings, Shuxin is definitely fine."

As soon as Guo Fan said this, Yu Shuxin immediately shouted, "Brother Jing, Brother Hua, did you hear that? And Teacher Xuejian, Teacher Shayi, Teacher Tong Liya, Director Guo is talking badly about you behind your backs."

Guo Fan: "???"

Wu Jing: "Hahaha, as expected of the soldiers trained by Le'er. Usually, we rely on Shuxin to bring us joy on set. But you've made us even more relaxed. Like boss, like employee."

Zhou Le quickly waved his hand: "What employee? Even if you are my older brother, Brother Jing, I still have to correct you if you say something wrong. Strictly speaking, you should be my partner."

"No, no, I'm just one of Brother Le's men," Yu Shuxin quickly declared her loyalty.

Upon hearing this, Guo Fan said, "If that's the case, then I'm also one of Brother Le's men. Who told you to invest so much in the movie?"

"Hey, with my limited investment, I can only be ranked lower, right? The projects at the top of the list are definitely China Film Group, those kinds of projects."

"Sigh, don't even mention it. These kinds of projects, whether in the past or present, are definitely led by China Film Group. But if it weren't for you and Brother Jing helping me out back then, that project would definitely have failed."

Wanda was originally one of the major investors, but then they withdrew, and I had no choice but to shamelessly come to you guys. Of course, it's just that I didn't know Shuxin back then, otherwise I would definitely have asked Sister Shuxin to invest some money for me too.

Guo Fan has this kind of personality. Sometimes when he's joking, he doesn't care who's older or younger. He can just casually call someone "brother" or "sister."

"Fortunately, things are much better now, but to be honest, the film and television industry is getting harder and harder to operate in. Those big companies have a lot of projects, but only a few of them are actually profitable. That's why you see why Xiao Wang is starting to withdraw from the film and television industry and do other things?"

The "Little Wang" they were referring to was naturally Wang Sicong.

"It's not just Xiao Wang; Lao Wang isn't having an easy time either. Before July, cinemas were almost shut down for half a year, and their most anticipated projects were withdrawn. Several other film and television projects that were planned to be released or started filming also couldn't continue."

As they chatted about industry topics, they suddenly looked at Zhou Le.

"But you don't seem to have been affected much, kid. How much have you filmed this year? You filmed your own movie in the first half of the year, then an idol drama, and even had a cameo role in mine. You just finished filming another drama recently, and now you're going to film a movie directed by Zhang Yimou?"

"Hey, what impact can a lowly laborer like me have? If someone gives me work, I'll do it. It's better to be out doing some work than to stay indoors, right, brothers?"

"You're just a lowly wage earner, so what are we? Lowly beggars? To be honest, you should earn less money. You're making all the money, and we're really envious."

"Hey, I don't make any money here, really not much."

"Not much, but you must have at least a few hundred million on you right now, right?"

Zhou Le shook his head: "That's all."

"Almost all the money has arrived, but part of it was transferred to the company and deposited directly into the employees' accounts for two years' worth of salaries and bonuses; another part was used to shoot short dramas, and we need to continue investing to expand the scale of that project."

Another portion is used for investment, thinking that my brother will still be willing to play along with me in the second installment; I also invested a lot in Dumpling, and got a share from Experimental Culture; finally, I still need to keep some funds for my own movies and TV series.

In addition, I plan to set aside a portion for investment in a game project, and I did make a lot of money last year, so I still have to pay back taxes this year.

How much money could I possibly have to spend like this? Now, all I have left are a few tens of millions. I was hoping to buy a house while prices are down, but it looks like I probably won't be able to find anything I like.”

"No, it's only been a short time. You started splitting the profits around this time last year and have been doing it all this year. Now you only have tens of millions left?"

"Yes, this is just an estimate now. After a while, these tens of millions will be gone. I'll have to ask my brothers to help me out more. Look how thin I've become. I can't even get enough to eat."

"Come on, you just said you got this thin for the role."

Wu Jing didn't believe it at all, but Zhou Le's spending speed was indeed too fast.

Moreover, some projects do look promising, such as "The Wandering Earth" and "Ne Zha" from Jiaozi, but others are uncertain about their future, and it's very possible that the money invested will be wasted.

"Forget it, I don't know what to do with money that's so easy to earn anyway, so I might as well invest it. Just don't let me end up like Li Yapeng and Han Han back then."

"Haha, those two are easy to talk to, but I'm afraid you'll become like Luo Yonghao, suffering major setbacks in whatever industry you enter."

After chatting for a while, Yu Shuxin suddenly asked Zhou Le, "Brother Le, do you know about 'Rock & Roast'? Have they invited you to participate?"

Zhou Le thought for a moment; he knew about stand-up comedy.

No, why, did they contact you?

"Yes, they asked me to be a guest on one of their shows, but I'm still hesitant about whether to go. If I do go, they'll definitely make fun of me."

Zhou Le reached out and patted Yu Shuxin's head: "It depends on you. If you feel you can accept it, then go for it. They can criticize you, and you can criticize them back. But I think going up there to make fun of them and use your own jokes can really win you over with the audience."

"Brother, if that's how you put it, then I'll go. It's just a matter of a few days anyway."

Just as Zhou Le finished talking with Yu Shuxin, he received a call from Su Yingxia: "Brother Le, there's a pretty urgent business opportunity right now. It's for Tencent's own production, 'Rock & Roast.' Do you want to go? If you do, you can be a regular guest and part-time judge. The pay is pretty high, a fixed 300 million per episode."

"Damn, that's a high offer! I'll go!" (End of Chapter)