Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 207, "The Girl," is finished.

"...Even if you become popular, you're still just a celebrity."

On the other side, Director Feng, sitting on the sofa, grinned and coughed up phlegm: "Hey~ tell me, isn't this much traffic? It's really not that bad."

"Things are different now; traffic equals market share."

Director Yang looked at Director Feng: "Xiao Gang, you're still criticizing us? Haven't you ever used mobile data yourself?"

"Damn, am I using that? I'm making money off their fans, that's different."

Director Feng chuckled and waved his hand, "Hurry up, everyone. Get the rest of the crew up here too. Let's have a good time tonight."

“…Okay.” Director Yang nodded, then whispered to Director Lu, “I think we can give it a try. We’ve always had intermediaries relaying messages, and we haven’t had any direct contact with him… I think we can give him a few more scripts and give him a chance.”

Director Lu was a little unhappy when he heard this – because Ikeno had previously refused to star in his film "749 Bureau".

"You decide. Anyway, if he wants to get into the circle, he has to drink three bottles first, otherwise it's out of the question."

Director Lu waved his hand.

"Eh."

Just then, Director Feng, who was about to go upstairs to take a shower, turned around and grinned: "When is Sheng Ning, the one you guys are talking about, going to arrive? I've been craving her type for so long, but I've never had the chance before. I'll have to indulge myself this time."

"Ok?"

The two were taken aback. Director Yang asked in confusion, "Sheng Ning? We didn't invite her over."

"You invited me?"

Director Lu also shook his head: "No."

Director Feng was also taken aback for a moment before saying, "Ah, Lao Wang told me he gave me the news. I thought the honeymooner would come."

"...This woman really doesn't know her own limitations. She's been going against us lately. If you ask me, we've given her too much face. We should just tell her directly that if she continues to be so ungrateful, we can forget about her ever getting any more movies. Let's see if she'll still be so arrogant then!"

"Don't say that, they have 'capital' to back them up, haha."

"Capital my ass, how much money? She's been in the drama industry for too long, I think she really thinks she's some big shot."

"..."

……

at the same time.

Lemon Entertainment.

"Sister Ning, the Beijing film circle has made it clear that they won't accept your roles in movies, and they refuse to let popular actors act in bad films... The two scripts you just negotiated both have Beijing connections... so they've already been withdrawn."

Inside the office, the newly appointed assistant looked worried: "Director Zhang has officially announced the role; it's Ling Han."

Sheng Ning crossed her legs and sneered, "You won't take my roles? It's not like ten years ago, the industry is in such a bad state now, who are you trying to convince yourself of that?"

"...But after all, the film and television industries are two different circles, look at us..."

Sheng Ning paused for a moment before coldly saying, "Yes, they are two different circles..."

"Then let's reject all the platform projects that those Beijing-based traffic groups want to curry favor with. Also... let's spread the word that Kiwi will not give any project resources to Beijing-based traffic groups."

"Aren't they trying to 'softly block' me? I'll softly block them first."

The assistant was startled and hesitated, "Sister Ning... the platform and the film industry do have collaborations. Is it inappropriate for us to say this?"

She didn't say something else: "We only received shares without any investment, and the dividends were distributed based on the popularity of the actors. We were just small shareholders, and not the real owners of Kiwi Fruit."

"...Let me put it this way, I won't accept any roles from celebrities in the Beijing entertainment circle."

Sheng Ning knew that there was a huge gap in strength between her and the entire Beijing circle, but her personality wouldn't allow her to "kneel down" like that.

In fact, the "Chi Ye incident" was just the beginning of her conflict with the Beijing circle. After that, it had nothing to do with Chi Ye anymore. Instead, it was Sheng Ning's personal character and experiences that prevented her from being easily molded and shaped by the Beijing circle like dough.

You think you can just give me a hard time? You think you can put me on a soft blacklist? You think you can get the entire film industry to boycott me?

A movie role that was originally agreed upon was ruined over some trivial matter, and now I'm being sidelined and reprimanded... and I'm expected to kowtow and thank you?
Fuck you! You bunch of idiots!
Yes, she has a very strong personality, so she can't accept this kind of almost feudalistic humiliation. The film industry is so big, why should I beg your family?
Whoever wants to be a dog, let them be one.

"Okay, I understand." The new assistant had previously been a member of Sheng Ning's team, so she knew Sheng Ning's temperament very well. Therefore, after hesitating for a long time, she still did not tell Sheng Ning the news that a big shot in the Beijing circle wanted to "invite" her to "have some fun".

Otherwise… she was afraid that Sheng Ning would immediately post on Weibo and "tear apart" the Beijing entertainment circle.

"Any thing else?"

Sheng Ning stubbed out her cigarette, lit another one, and frowned when she saw her assistant still standing there dumbfounded.

"Hmm...this is the schedule for summer movie promotions...and also...I just made a call and asked the platform to take down all of Ikeno's spam ads..."

Sheng Ning nodded: "Yes, is there anything else?"

"...The advertising department is a bit dissatisfied."

"Then let them die."

"..."

"Any thing else?"

"Gone."

"go out."

"……it is good."

……

In early November.

The cast and crew of "Girl".

The final scene, which is also the only kissing scene between Zhou Ye and Shen Jiayi in the entire film, was deliberately saved for last, at the very end when the two were in their best state.

The entire crew held their breath, all staring intently at the "golden couple" on the rooftop.

They are about to part ways, seemingly "absent" from the most important four years of each other's lives.

……

The April wind is like a young man's hesitant confession, sometimes gentle, sometimes cool.

An occasional drizzle falls, not cold, but it inexplicably reminds one of an unfulfilled promise.

The night the college entrance exam ended, Zhou Ye and Shen Jiayi sneaked into the school rooftop.

Zhou Ye chewed on a mint and used a laser pointer to draw lines on the sky: "Look, the distance from Alpha Aquilae to Alpha Lyrae is exactly 26 light-years, just like..."

"It's like the distance between Tsinghua University and Fudan University."

Shen Jiayi suddenly spoke, the moonlight casting dappled shadows on her eyelashes.

Zhou Ye turned his head to look at her.

Moonlight slanted in from the dome, falling on her eyelashes and shattering into tiny specks of light.

Her breathing was light, her chest rising and falling slightly, and a section of her fair collarbone was exposed at the neckline of her school uniform, like the softest stroke in an unfinished sketch.

He suddenly felt his throat go dry.

"Hey, Shen Jiayi." His voice was low and husky: "Tell me, how long would it take us to catch up with a distance of twenty-six light-years?"

She didn't answer, but instead took out a small student flashlight from her pocket, turned on the flash, and held it up to the sky.

A blinding white light exploded in the darkness, like an artificial star.

"Happy birthday," she said softly.

Zhou Ye was stunned.

It's past midnight; today is her eighteenth birthday.

……

"coming soon!"

Outside the rooftop, the director took a deep breath. He noticed that Shang Youshu's eyelashes were trembling, and her beautiful eyes were like stars.

in the lens.

Zhou Ye suddenly rolled over and braced himself on his side, casting a shadow that blocked out most of the light.

Shen Jiayi's breath hitched, and her fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the small flashlight. The flashlight beam swayed between the two of them, illuminating his face so close to hers.

"Zhou Ye, you..."

He lowered his head and kissed him.

The first time, he bumped into the tip of her nose, the coolness of the mint brushing against the corner of her lips, and they both turned their heads away in a panic.

"Damn." He chuckled, his breath hot. "It's harder than solving a physics problem."

Shen Jiayi's ears burned, but at that moment she reached out and cupped his face, and in the last second before the flash went out, she tilted her head back and kissed him. In the instant darkness fell, the sensation of touch was amplified infinitely.

His lips were warm, carrying the refreshing scent of mints and the subtle sweetness of carbonated drinks.

Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest, and her fingers unconsciously gripped his collar as if afraid she would fall into this galaxy.

In the distance, the beam of a security guard's flashlight swept across the corridor, and the rattling of metal door locks startled them awake.

As the two hurriedly separated, Shen Jiayi's hair clip got caught on Zhou Ye's school uniform button. In the struggle, she hissed. Zhou Ye frantically tried to undo it, his fingertips brushing against her earlobe, which was surprisingly hot.

“It’s over.” He chuckled softly. “Now it’s really a mess.”

Shen Jiayi glared at him, but secretly smiled in the darkness.

Before leaving, Zhou Ye disassembled a starry sky jigsaw puzzle, broke it in two, and stuffed one half into her hand.

"When we meet again..." he said, "we should be able to piece together a complete picture."

Under the moonlight, the edges of the puzzle pieces shimmered like scattered stars.

The line connecting Vega and Aquila silently points to their clasped fingertips.

Twenty-six light-years may seem far.

But at this moment, my heartbeat felt as close as breathing.

"Girl" is beautiful, love is beautiful, youth... is beautiful.

……

"Crack!"

The director held his breath for a long time, and only after seeing that Chi Ye and Shang Jie had stood up did he pause for a moment before shouting: "—I announce that 'Girl' is finished!!"

"……Long live!!"

"It's finally finished."

"Ah, it's a holiday, it's a holiday."

"Two teachers..."

When a staff member came forward, everyone noticed that Chi Ye and Shang Youshu were both keeping their mouths tightly shut and staring at each other.

"What did you eat?"

Chino frowned, noticing the strange taste in his mouth: "Shi?"

Sister Shang's face turned bright red, and she spat, "What do you mean by 'Shi'? I... I just ate some garlic."

"garlic?"

Ikeno asked in surprise, "Why are you eating garlic?"

Sister Shang stared at him for a long time, then said softly, "I'm afraid you'll get too attached to me~"

"After all, I'm so beautiful... I'm really afraid you... won't be able to resist, Ms. Koike."

Chiye: "..."

"Um…?"

Suddenly, Sister Shang's expression changed, belatedly realizing what she had said, and she glared at Chi Ye: "What...did you eat?"

"Oh," Ikeno explained, "I ate Kou Shi."

Sister Shang: “?!”

Ikeno added: "Canned herring."

"vomit!"

Shang Jie immediately started gagging.

With a sob in her voice, she cried, "Ikeno... if you had any conscience at all, you wouldn't have treated me like this!"

"...Just kidding, why do you feel nauseous just hearing those words?"

Ikeno remained silent: "Just one bite."

"Ikeno, Ikeno...you're just going to do this to me. I know I'm charming, but you just want to use this opportunity to see me make a fool of myself and then suppress your own desires!"

Chi Ye glanced sideways at Shang Jie, who was both wiping and sniffling, and said sincerely, "What kind of 'ugly behavior' haven't I seen in you? Do you still need to dissuade me?"

Sister Shang: “…”

Dead memories began to assault her, her face flushed red, and she pointed at Chi Ye: "You...you...I'm human too, I'm a normal carbon-based life form, those are all normal reactions!"

"Yes, yes, I know, you don't need to explain."

Chi Ye nodded.

"...Ikeno, remember this: I will never show my 'ugly side' in front of you again in my entire life!!"

Ikeno watched with amusement, but inwardly he was happy for Shang-jie... Seeing her like this should lessen the negative effects of her "getting into character" quite a bit.

He left to find Coco, who had just joined the team.

After taking the water from her assistant, Sister Shang rinsed her mouth, and then accidentally swallowed it with a "gulp".

"Um?!!"

Sister Shang's eyes widened, and she suddenly savored the taste, smacking her lips: "This...this canned herring...it doesn't taste so bad?!"

The assistant turned pale with fright: "Sis, sis, you can't eat this! This stuff is shii! You can't get into this habit!"

Sister Shang: "...What do you know! Of course I won't eat it, don't worry!"

The assistant was still uneasy—she wasn't at all at ease, and she felt that Sister Shang was really capable of doing such a thing.

Meanwhile, Sister Shang thought to herself with a sinister glint in her eye: Chi Ye, I, Sister Shang, will remember this, and I will repay you a hundredfold in the future!
……

the other side.

"You sent me a few more terrible scripts?"

After hearing what Coco said, Chi Ye was both surprised and astonished: "What are they thinking? Do they really want me to act in their exploitative movie?"

"They probably really want to exploit your fans."

Coco thought so too.

"Tell that... Director Yang, Director Lu, and other directors that they're not available, they won't take the job, don't bother me."

Ikeno gave a triple refusal.

"Um... I've already refused."

Coco had already struck first.

The two sat in the RV. Chi Ye picked up a document, glanced at it, and then asked, "Is the 'Flu' crew all set up yet?"

"Alright, the extras have been practicing breakdancing for two months, and we can start filming in half a month... Let's start filming as soon as possible, every day is money."

Chi Ye nodded, then glanced sideways: "So you're going to tell me what to do now?"

Coco, hands on hips, said, "Brother Chi, I'm your manager and also the company's general manager!"

"...Okay, you're good."

Ikeno decisively did not argue with the company's "general manager." Coco is now a well-known agent and boss in the industry, which is a far cry from what she used to be!

He thought for a moment, then asked, "Has the female lead not been decided yet?"

"We can't find a suitable one. The requirements for the female lead in 'Flu' are quite high: acting skills, maternity makeup... looks... and age, a mature woman... According to your requirements, we've tried our best to find well-known actresses, but... the actresses who meet the criteria are either too famous or don't want to offend the Beijing entertainment circle..."

Coco habitually adjusted the air conditioner temperature to 24°C for Chi Ye: "Also... once they heard there's no romantic storyline with you, nobody wanted to come, so we couldn't 'crash' the place..."

"There are a few unknown actors, and some who have no connection with the Beijing entertainment circle... We've already sent out invitations, and Mr. Sui has also recommended a few."

Chi Ye frowned as he listened: "It's a bit slow, and... how can I rely on someone who isn't famous? How can I ride on their fame... how can I guarantee the quality of the movie?"

Coco blinked: "Then look..."

"What are you looking at? You're asking me?"

Chino was speechless: "Do you think I'd spend money to support an outsider?"

Why don't you go and say it yourself...?

Coco muttered to herself.

Chi Ye glanced at her: "What did I say? You want me to bow down? No way. Act it or not, it's up to you. If you don't want to act, I'll find Sister Shang! I'll have Sister Shang play a pregnant woman... I must say, Sister Shang's belly has started to show again recently, so it's actually quite suitable."

The woman who had just passed by the RV narrowed her eyes and stared at them with a sinister look: "They definitely didn't say anything good about me!"

(End of this chapter)