Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 479 A Trip to Shanghai, Fei Bing Reunited

In the two days since Xie Jin's passing, people from all levels of government, including official departments and industry associations, cultural institutions such as the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, as well as directors and actors in the arts, have given interviews and commemorated him on Weibo.

Liu Xiaoqing posted old photos from the set of "Hibiscus Town" and wrote: "Director Xie taught me how to find dignity in suffering. His passing has left me with immense grief."

Jiang Wen rarely published a long article, recalling Xie Jin's strictness and trust in him during the filming of "Hibiscus Town": "When he scolded people, he was like a thunder god, but when the camera turned, he understood the vulnerability of actors better than anyone else. Without him, I would not be where I am today. He is my mentor forever!"

During an interview with reporters at the film set in Hubei Province, Zhang Yimou frankly told the media, "Our generation is making movies by standing on Director Xie's shoulders."

Yanzi's eyes were red as she faced the camera, but she also had a lot of personal feelings to say: "Director Xie's passing is a great loss to Chinese filmmakers. I still can't forget his earnest teachings back then. He shaped the spirit of our generation of filmmakers."

Bingbing flew back to Shanghai from Hokkaido, and was immediately surrounded by reporters as soon as she got off the plane. Her eyes, hidden behind her sunglasses, were red and swollen from crying.

The 16-year-old female student who came to Xie Jin Hengtong School recalled the past: "On the first day I walked into Hengtong Star School, Director Xie told us, 'Acting starts with being a good person.'"

“Once I was late, and he made me stand in the rehearsal hall for three hours as punishment, but then he had his wife bring me hot pan-fried buns that night.”

"Later I realized that he scolded us because he was afraid we would fail to live up to his job..."

All the people in the arts and culture circles who had worked with or interacted with Xie Jin spoke out, but some netizens were curious as to why Lu Kuan, who had always been on good terms with the veteran director and supported him, had not made any move.

On the night of the 11th, after everyone saw Lu Kuan listed as the deputy head of the funeral committee in the official announcement, his memorial article quickly spread online, sparking heated discussions.
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A Beacon in the Long Night of Chinese Cinema: In Memoriam of Director Xie Jin

I first met the veteran director four years ago. After attending an event in Shanghai, he and Aunt Xu Dawen invited me to their home.

I never imagined that Director Xie, who rose to fame in the 60s, would live in an old-fashioned building in a lane in Shanghai, a modern version of "The Humble Abode".

When Director Xie saw me, he didn't talk about the movie as his first words. Instead, he introduced me to his family members and then looked at Ah Si, who was sitting timidly at the door of the room, looking at me, a stranger, with affection.

Ah Si is their youngest son, who was unable to live independently due to a childhood illness and has been raised by the two elderly people.

“Ah Si knows the way, but he doesn’t know the time.” He once explained with a smile, his eyes filled with exhaustion. “If I come home late, he will peer through the peephole all night, and his eyebrows will be worn down.”

Behind that doorway lies the clumsy watchful gaze of a son with intellectual disabilities towards his father, and the suffering that Xie Jin carries on his back.

Of his four children, three suffered from various misfortunes: his eldest daughter had intellectual disabilities and lived abroad for a long time; his second son suffered from lifelong asthma; and his youngest son had intellectual disabilities. Whenever he mentioned this to me, he would silently down a glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor), his Adam's apple bobbing as if he were swallowing razor blades.

Until last month, the death of his eldest son, Xie Yan, from cancer dealt a heavy blow to the veteran director.

In fact, when we first met, Director Xie Jin didn't talk much about film with me; he just encouraged me to follow my own path.

But from his deep affection for his family, I finally understood where the warmth and comfort he found in the film came from.

The path of filmmaking is also the path of life.

He told me in a casual, conversational way:

Please truly experience this real world, understand love, hate, and even passion and enmity, and then bring them into your work; then it will have a soul.

Four years ago, I was still basking in the joy of my great success with "Alien Land" and didn't have a deep understanding of this conversation with him.

It wasn't until this year, when I got married and started my own family, that I truly understood the weight of the saying "there are profound truths in the mundane details of family life."

As I write this, I look up and see my wife curled up on the sofa opposite me, like a cat, reading a script, and she'll give me a gentle smile anytime, anywhere.

Therefore, I gained a more personal understanding of his heartfelt words.

The camera is a cruel emotional gateway, meant to expose the beauty and ugliness of the world.

Want to film the human condition? First, burn yourself out.

At this moment, the cat's eye that gleams with a cold light in my mind has become the yardstick by which Indians and other people measure fatherly love.

The eldest son, Xie Yan, lied about going to Australia to "collect folk songs" before he died of lung cancer, just so that his father would not stop rehearsing "Jin Daban's Last Night".
Ah Si still doesn't know what death is, and is still rummaging through the pile of white chrysanthemums looking for his father's slippers.

All of this is enough to bring tears to one's eyes.

The only saving grace is that before the old director passed away, Zhu, who shamelessly framed him back then, was punished by public morality and the law, even if Director Xie may have forgotten him, just like forgetting a bothersome fly from many years ago.

Having said that, let's talk about Director Xie's films.

In a sense, he's very trendy—he talks about whatever's currently popular.

From his directorial debut, "Spring in a Water Town," which focused on the nationwide rural reform movement, his films have always kept pace with the times.

He never fools the audience; everything he captures on camera is real and down-to-earth.

In the TV series "Women's Basketball No. 5", the faux leather jacket worn by the character Liu Qiong was designed by himself based on the most fashionable clothing styles on the streets of Shanghai before the founding of the People's Republic of China. The orchids and roly-poly puppets that Liu Qiong often carries are the most familiar daily pleasures of the citizens at that time, so the audience will naturally feel a sense of familiarity when they see them.

When faced with grand themes of the times, he is also very good at empathizing with the audience.

Limited by the times, even though many of his topics were "assigned essays," he never shouted slogans at the top of his lungs. Instead, he humbled himself, respected the characters' feelings, personalities, and changes, and put each character into their most authentic situation.

This brings me to my last meeting with Director Xie. Even after experiencing the pain of losing his son, he still held my hand and expressed his feelings.

It was after the successful opening ceremony of the Olympics that the old director told me with surging national sentiment that when he was young, the social responsibility he gave himself was to create a national icon.

“Every country and every era must shape its own image. If 20th-century Chinese cinema has not left behind a positive image that is accepted by the whole world, then our generation of filmmakers has not fulfilled its responsibility.”

As someone born in the 80s, I have witnessed the beauty he has given us, and that beauty will never go out of style.

My wife, Liu Yifei, is quite young, but she watched "The Herdsman," a film five years older than her, with me, and she often joked with me using a line from the movie:

"Old Lu (Xu), do you want a wife?"

I asked her why she liked this line, and Xiao Liu, who works in the film industry, said:
In "The Herdsman," Xu Lingjun and Xiuzhi's interactions don't include any kissing scenes, nor are there many sweet words or vows of eternal love. What they have is pure sincerity, yet it's so sweet it's almost cloying.

But Xiao Liu, a newlywed, also said: What Director Xie Jin filmed is the kind of love she longs for—pure and beautiful.

I believe that such movies and lines will continue to be passed down for ten or twenty years to come, and the people's yearning for truth, goodness and beauty will never be outdated.

Qin Shutian in "Hibiscus Town" turns hardship into dance steps, which is the beauty of resilience;

The flames of Lin Zexu burning cigarettes in "The Opium War" and the soldiers who faced death without fear in "Garland Under the Mountain" exemplify the beauty of patriotism and national righteousness.

The meditation room in "The Bell Tolls at Qingliang Temple" where the old monk took in the orphans of Japanese Bon is filled with a compassion deeper than Buddhist scriptures; this is the beauty of generosity.
The little tune Xiuzhi hums while plastering the wall with mud in "The Herdsman," and the wine sacks passed around the campfire by the herdsmen—this is the beauty of simplicity.

All of these are the spiritual wealth that Director Xie Jin left us, a precious legacy that grows on our fertile and virtuous Chinese soil.

Tomorrow I will be heading to Shanghai to bid a final farewell to this master of Chinese cinema whom I hold dear in my heart.

At this moment, I look out the study window with a heavy heart, and autumn mist rises over the Wenyu River in September.

In a daze, I seemed to see an old man standing against the light, holding the laughing Ah Si in his left hand, and the soul of his eldest son Xie Yan resting on his right shoulder.

He raised a non-existent wine glass to me, then turned and stepped into the vast mist.

The wine may be cold, the road may be long, but the torch will burn forever.

—On September 11, 2008, the road was wider than that in Beiping.

In his early career, Mr. Lu had some unpleasant experiences with the Hong Kong entertainment circle online, and afterwards he mostly did promotional work for movies and businesses.

Until recently, after his career took off, he rarely spoke out on his personal social media, except when pressured by Liu Yifei after they started dating.

Coincidentally, the two most recent articles, which also caused a great sensation, are both related to Xie Jin.

The last one was the "Declaration Against Pigs," which completely solved the problem of pig manure; this time it is a heartfelt tribute to our predecessors.

Within just over ten minutes of the Weibo post, the account that had recently been piggybacking on his wife Liu Yifei's popularity garnered nearly ten thousand comments.

There were onlookers and Liu's fans who were unhappy with the "personal dog food" he included in the article, but there was also a lot of support and solidarity from other directors and actors.

Zhang Yimou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Zhang Huijun, Ang Lee, Director Jia, Ning Hao, and numerous industry professionals and organizations, including the official websites of Beijing Film Academy, Shanghai Film Studio, and China Film Group, have all forwarded this article.

Zhou Liming, Gu Xiaobai, and others, who had just commented on the establishment of the "Ball Lightning" project, were all moved by Boss Lu's sincere writing and wording, and by the genuine feelings between these two friends despite their age difference.

Of course, his number one hater, Liu Yifei, was the first to read this blog post, and she was so moved that she kept talking about it until noon on the 12th after getting off the plane.

The two retrieved their luggage, followed by Afei and Xiao Liu, a newly formed team. These were the elite troops that Yang Siwei had carefully selected to prepare for the boss's wife's upcoming filming trip, and they had come along this time as well.

Liu Yifei, holding the man's arm, said earnestly, "Lu Kuan, I've noticed you've really changed!"

"What's changed? Have I become more handsome again?"

Xiao Liu smiled at him and said, "You're becoming more and more humane. The article mourning Director Xie made me want to cry."

"Also, I now know to mention your lovely wife in your blog posts. That's a huge improvement."

The washing machine chuckled: "Oh, so I wasn't human before? Well, your tastes are pretty strange."

Liu Yifei recalled the "Celestial Transformation" novel that Su Chang had mentioned to her in the United States last time, and said in a coquettish tone: "You used to be very good, just a little naughty. Now you are even better, and I have to admit that I played a part in it!"

Boss Lu didn't bother arguing with her: "You've been sucking on garlic!"

The two chatted as they walked towards the parking lot. Shanghai Film Studio had already arranged transportation and accommodation, but they were surrounded by local Shanghai newspapers and paparazzi halfway there.

This afternoon, Xie Jin received condolences from all sectors of society at the Longhua Funeral Home. As the deputy head of the funeral committee, he should have made an appearance.

In addition, I mentioned in my blog post last night that I would be heading to Shanghai today, so I didn't intend to hide it from anyone.

How could reporters not swarm in?

Afei and Mia stood in front of the two, and Lu Kuan nodded to everyone: "Everyone, I'm sorry, we still have to rush to Director Xie's funeral. I have ten minutes to answer your questions, please hurry."

A tall female reporter strained to hold out her microphone: "Mr. Lu, when are you planning to hold the wedding with Yi Fei? Can you disclose the scale and budget?"

"Today we are here to attend Director Xie's memorial service. These topics are not appropriate to discuss at this time. Thank you."

The Xinmin Evening News, the largest local newspaper in Shanghai, was relatively serious: "Mr. Lu, everyone was very moved after reading your memorial article yesterday. What do you think of what Ms. Xu Dawen said in an interview, that you are the successor that Director Xie believes in?"

Mr. Lu was somewhat surprised: "I haven't seen this interview. First of all, thank you Aunt Xu Dawen and the late director for your affirmation."

"However, my abilities are limited. The Chinese film and arts community needs more pioneers and explorers like Director Xie to better realize his last wishes, let Chinese films go to the world, and shape our national image and character. Let us all strive together."

Shanghai Morning Post reporter: "Mr. Lu, the Olympics have been over for two weeks now. What are the plans for the follow-up work? Audiences are really looking forward to your Lunar New Year film season."

"It's a pity that we'll have to miss the 08 Lunar New Year film season again, but please pay more attention to Wenjie's works, such as 'Lost in Thailand' and 'Let the Bullets Fly,' which will not disappoint you."

"This month, Xiao Liu and I will be joining the cast of 'Under the Hawthorn Tree'. Director Zhang has already started pre-production filming with other actors, and if all goes well, our scenes will be finished before the end of the year."

"As for the preparation work of 'Ball Lightning,' the early process is still quite long. Just the construction of the laboratory in the movie requires multiple site selections. If everything goes smoothly, filming should officially begin after May."

An Oriental Morning Post reporter asked Liu Yifei: "Ms. Liu, we saw in Director Lu's blog that you two often watch Director Xie's movies together, is that right? Tell us about your impression of Xie Jin and his movies."

It's clear that the three authoritative local newspapers are quite dedicated; they didn't just focus on entertainment news, but instead kept their attention on topics related to Xie Jin and the movie.

Liu Yifei nodded and said, "Lu Kuan and I are both industry professionals. He has seen a lot of films and sometimes guides me to analyze films in a targeted way and observe the performances of the characters in the films. I have seen almost all of Director Xie's films and have also listened to Lu Kuan's analysis for me."

"What impressed me most was his ability to find poetry in the ordinary. Like the scene in 'Hibiscus Town' where Qin Shutian sweeps the streets, it's such an ordinary job, but he filmed it with a dance-like beauty."

"I love small animals, and I really like his 'Old Man and Dog,' which I think is much more profound than the foreign film 'Hachi: A Dog'. Director Xie's films will never be outdated because these most sincere human emotions are eternal."

The reporter from Film News asked the last question: "Director Lu and Yi Fei, at the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival in Liaoning Province on the 13th, 'The Sky of History' received almost every possible nomination. What are your expectations for winning an award?"

Mr. Lu smiled and said, "Thank you for the audience's and judges' appreciation. It's already a success that this film has been seen by more people."

Aside from a few reporters who wanted to ask about gossip about the couple, the reporters, having gotten their wish, stopped bothering them. The two successfully left by car and headed to the accommodation arranged by the Shanghai Film Group, before heading to the funeral home in the afternoon.

"Shall we go on the 13th?"

"You can go. I need to finish up the company's business as soon as possible. There are new problems with 'Ball Lightning' every day, waiting for my decision."

Xiao Liu nodded: "You've never seemed particularly interested in these domestic awards? I mean, even when you first started out, you weren't exactly keen on doing public relations for them?"

Liu Yifei recalled her unpleasant experience attending the Golden Horse Awards for the first time, and since then they hadn't even been to Taiwan.

"Well..." Boss Lu pondered, "This involves the domestic film evaluation system and factions, it's quite complicated."

"Overall, my style is not in line with theirs."

"The domestic film awards and evaluation system is actually still the same academic system from the Beijing Film Academy, and it's not much better than the New Wave movement advocated by people like Zhu Dake."

"The commercialization and film industrialization approach that Wenjie has taken is not well received in the mainstream film criticism system."

Xiao Liu asked curiously, "Does everyone from the academic world get along with you? But Chairman Zhang, Principal Zhang, and Teacher Tian valued you a lot in the early days."

"This reflects one's personal character and cannot represent everyone. Lao Tian rarely discusses anything about movies with me because we know that our paths are different."

"But Lao Tian and Principal Zhang are both people with a broad perspective. They don't engage in factionalism or exclusion. They are willing to support anything that is beneficial to the development of Beijing Film Academy and Chinese cinema."

Lu Kuan laughed and said, "I remember when you were fifteen or sixteen and came to the Hollywood Walk of Fame with me, I told you that for me, the Oscars are just about boosting movie box office; I don't have any 'filter' for them." (Chapter 195)
"The same goes for domestic awards. They should be demystified. Whether it's the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards for film or the Magnolia and Golden Eagle Awards for television, they are mostly the private domain of fixed interest groups and evaluation systems."

“If I don’t have that kind of industry standing, it’s no use going there, because we’re not on the same wavelength. We don’t associate with them or fawn over them.”

"But even if I don't go now, they still wouldn't dare not give Best Picture and Best Director to 'History of the Sky,' and they wouldn't dare not give you Best Actress. At most, they'll just share the rest of the scraps."

The vehicle stopped at the Regal East Asia Hotel, more than 3 kilometers away from the funeral home. The group entered the lobby under the escort of security guards. This is the designated hotel for receiving VIPs by the Shanghai Film Studio.

Lu Kuan smiled and encouraged his wife: "You have to remember, it's the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress that needs Liu Yifei, not the other way around."

"Because you are the Berlin Film Festival Best Actress, to put it bluntly, in their value judgment system, this is above the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards."

Liu Yifei gave an adorable "Oh~" and teased in a low voice, "Oh! I've been smart since I was little, I understand this logic. For example, it's the washing machine that needs me, not the other way around!"

Mr. Lu smiled and was waiting for the front desk to process his paperwork when Xu Pengle, the vice president of Shanghai Film Group in charge of reception, came over.

"Mr. Lu, you've arrived."

Lu Kuan turned around: "Old Xu, why are your eyes so dark?"

At the beginning of the year, he was invited by Shanghai Film Studio to attend a meeting, which was the meeting where he reached a cooperation agreement with Li Shoucheng, Jiang Wen and Shanghai Film Studio on "Let the Bullets Fly". Xu Pengle was the receptionist and a confidant of Ren Zhonglun.

Xu Peng smiled wryly: "President Lu, I've been exhausted these past two days, but Director Xie is a veteran of the Shanghai Film Studio, so it's only right that we do our best to help out."

"By the way, all the leaders arrived at noon. President Ren and the vice mayor of the funeral committee are both at the Department of Commerce. They specifically asked me to come and invite you over first."

"Okay, just a moment." Lu Kuan handed the luggage to Liu Yifei: "I'll go check first, and I'll call you later."

"Okay, go ahead." Xu Pengle smiled and greeted the richest man's wife again. Accompanied by Mia, she went back to her room first.

The strong female bodyguard carried the luggage and chatted with the beautiful employer as they took the elevator to the most luxurious suite.

The elevator doors suddenly opened on the seventh floor. Amidst the fragrant aroma, Fan Bingbing stood outside the elevator. The collar of her white shirt under her black suit jacket was slightly open. Sunglasses concealed her red and swollen eyes, but could not hide her taut jawline.

Her assistant, carrying a bag, instinctively opened her mouth wide the moment she saw what was happening inside the elevator.

Xiao Liu, also dressed in black, stood in the center of the elevator. She wore a neatly tailored women's dress with a simple white flower pinned to her chest.

Mia stood beside her, carrying her luggage, her tall figure casting a silent shadow under the elevator lights.

Bingbing knew they were coming, but she didn't expect to meet them here. She had just visited a friend on the seventh floor and was heading back to her room.
Before coming, Xiao Liu had not realized the possibility of meeting him. Since she had resolved her inner conflict about Bingbing last time, she had rarely thought about these things.

The girl's cleverness lies in the fact that she has always known that she does not rely on so-called sob stories, feigning weakness, or "crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide" to maintain the relationship and ensure her spouse's fidelity.

She had only one sincere heart, and fortunately, that sincerity was also cherished by that person.

In the two seconds of silence, only the faint hum of the elevator could be heard.

The jasmine scent from the advanced fragrance system filled the small space, yet it couldn't suppress the invisible tension within.

Bingbing moved first; she wanted to go upstairs. At this moment, it was neither reasonable nor emotional for her to miss this elevator; that would undoubtedly be bowing to reality and escaping it.

She refused.

Now that she has reached this status, even when Qiong Yao comes to the mainland for events, she has to ask her to come along. She has changed from being eccentric ten years ago and now treats Qiong Yao with a kind and gentle expression.

Even the two Wangs from Huayi Brothers and Feng Xiaogang, and even Ma Yun, who was hoping that "If You Are the One" would become a huge hit and replicate the "Meteor Shower" model, had to speak to her in a gentle and soft-spoken manner.

Are you a shareholder and I am not?
Not to mention her colleagues in the company and industry who expect her to introduce them to fashion resources.

Should I humble myself again?

Only one person can do it.

Even if the serene young woman in front of him is already that man's wife, it's still not acceptable.

"Yifei, it's been a long time." Bingbing smiled and stepped into the elevator, her high heels clicking crisply on the marble floor.

The last time was at the 07 Bazaar Fashion Gala, when Xiao Liu helped a leading actress who was being ostracized by Shou Yanzi, Zhang Ziyi, Li Binbin, and others. The two clashed for the last time in the parking lot of the China World Hotel.

Liu Yifei stepped aside to make way, and returned the smile: "Sister Bingbing, which floor do you live on?"

"The fourteenth floor."

Bingbing looked at the lit "17th floor" sign inside the elevator. Just as her assistant was about to reach for the 14th floor button, Bingbing stopped her.

The leading actress turned her head to look at Liu Yifei: "Yifei, can we talk in your room?"

"Shall we go to your room? Is that convenient?" Xiao Liu raised an eyebrow, but her voice was as soft as a snowflake falling on the black elevator floor.

She knew what Bingbing was thinking, so wouldn't Lu Kuan returning to his room fulfill her wish to meet him?
To avoid her having to confess again and making everyone feel awkward, it's best not to give her that chance.

As for Boss Lu, Xiao Liu trusted him.

But looking at the sexy and beautiful Bingbing in front of her, she asked herself if it was her dereliction of duty as a wife to make her husband do such a difficult task and be put to the test unnecessarily.

"It's convenient, what's inconvenient about it?" Bingbing was so decisive that she didn't hesitate for a second. She quickly compromised and pressed the button for the 14th floor herself.

As the elevator continued to ascend, the mirrored wall reflected two equally slender black figures, like two black roses standing side by side, maintaining a perfect safe distance in the confined space.

The somber sedan chair opened, and Liu Yifei told Mia to go back to her room first.

The latter hadn't understood the entire Chinese conversation, but she didn't see any threat from Bingbing and his assistant, so she watched Xiao Liu leave.

With a "beep," the door to Bingbing's room unlocked, and the two women entered naturally. Then, a crisp click of the latch closed, completely isolating them from the outside world.

From this moment on, in this private space, these two top female celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry will once again engage in a conversation about washing machines.

Bingbing leaned back in the armchair, the glaze of the teacup in her hand reflecting the berry-red color of her lips. The light from the floor lamp cut off from her left side, casting a sharp shadow on the bridge of her nose.

Xiao Liu sat with a slightly ladylike posture, unconsciously stroking the ring on her hand, her eyes glancing at the ashtray on the coffee table, where a few thin cigarettes were stuck in the ashtray.

The girl sighed inwardly. Lu Kuan had quit smoking, but she had started again.

While Bingbing was still considering how to start the conversation, Liu Yifei decided to set the tone for today's topic first:

“Bingbing, we’ve talked a lot about Lu Kuan since New York and after last year’s Bazaar Charity Night.”

"Back then we were boyfriend and girlfriend, and your 'suggestion' was already quite presumptuous. As for now—"

With a serene expression, Xiao Liu raised her fair right hand, the uniquely designed homemade wedding ring gleaming coldly under the overhead light.

“Now that we’re married, you can be unwilling or unwilling to give up, just like you said last time, but you don’t need to tell me.”

“I respect you, and I think you should respect me too. In my heart, you are not that undignified.”

Bingbing felt a tightness in her chest. Liu Yifei sat upright on the velvet sofa opposite her, the black suit's cut as sharp as a knife, making her neck appear even longer.

Looking at the young woman's dignified and radiant face, the leading actress knew that it was the beauty nurtured by love and affection, and now she possessed an added air of composure as a legitimate wife.

She couldn't help but ask a question that surprised Xiao Liu as well.

"What would it be like to marry him? It must be wonderful, right?"

When Liu Yifei looked up at Bingbing, there was no mockery or sneer, but rather a genuine inquiry filled with envy and jealousy, without a trace of ulterior motive.

Xiao Liu didn't know how to answer.

To tell the truth? She didn't think there was anything better in the world than being partners with your lover and spending every day together, especially with Lu Kuan.

But saying it now seems to carry an air of boasting.

Looking at the few lonely cigarette butts, Liu Yifei didn't know how to respond for a moment. She didn't want to provoke Bingbing's boring thoughts.

Bingbing's pale face seemed unable to conceal even her bright lips and radiant skin.

She didn't want to give in, but she couldn't suppress her desires.

The leading lady's voice was so soft it was almost swallowed up by the air conditioner vents:
"I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to know your experience."

"Yifei, do you know, let alone marriage or dating, I'm so envious of every photo of you two walking side by side, holding hands, and kissing on Weibo."

"It's envy, not jealousy. No one would dislike a kind girl like you. You deserve it."

Even the leading actress who vowed never to back down couldn't suppress the frenzy triggered by the news of her marriage and the death of her mentor these past two days:
"But I can't help but fantasize about what it would be like if it were me... Even just once, I could experience it like a wife, openly strolling, eating, kissing, and making love with him..."

"Even just once would be enough..."

"Enough! You've gone completely mad!" Liu Yifei suddenly stood up, her fingertips tapping the coffee table with a cold, crisp sound, interrupting Bingbing's frantic ramblings.

This can only be called delirium.

"You're still talking about the same things. I can't keep up with you."

Liu Yifei turned to leave, but Bingbing's last two explicit and extremely erotic words deeply aroused her. The young girl could not bear even imagining that scene.

"I'm sorry! Listen to me, Yifei!" The leading lady rushed forward and grabbed Xiao Liu's wrist in a panic, the sharp edge of the ring leaving red marks between their skin.

With a gentle push, the latter sent her sprawling onto the soft sofa. Bingbing's well-tailored black shirt was crumpled into large creases, like a hoarse black rose.

"Yes! I'm insane! Can't you just listen to one last thing a madman says?!"

Liu Yifei stopped in the entryway of the suite, turned around and looked at him with a frosty expression.

Bingbing had completely lost all sense of propriety. She knew she wouldn't always have such an opportunity to confront the two of them. This time, her mentor's passing acted as a catalyst, almost driving the ambitious leading lady to madness.

She smoothed out the wrinkles on her chest and said urgently, "Yi Fei, you should know about Huayi."

“Huayi also has many high-quality assets, such as the cinema chain that Wenjie has been developing. I have now found a few more small shareholders, and my shareholding is approaching 10 percent.”

"I also bear an important responsibility and play an indispensable role in the success or failure of 'If You Are the One' and its subsequent marketing. If this one is successful, I will definitely be the female lead in the next one."

Xiao Liu's heart sank: "What do you mean?"

“I’ll help you get Huayi, I’ll help you drag Ali and Wendy Deng down, and I can continue to help him collect shares.”

“Lu Kuan once told me that he would give me control of Huayi in the future, but I don’t want it now. It belongs entirely to you and your husband. I only have one request…”

Liu Yifei had lost all patience by the time she heard the last sentence. She thought it was just another of those annoying ramblings and pleading requests.

But Bingbing's madness this time, triggered by Xie Jin's death, has far exceeded her expectations.

The leading lady got up from the sofa, the solid wood door frame making a dull thud as her shoulder blades hit it. She almost fell onto the door panel, her cherry-colored nail polish fingers gripping the lock tightly, blocking Xiao Liu's way out.

"Let me finish!" Her voice choked, her mascara smudged into a spiderweb of black streaks by her tears. "Just this once... the very last time..."

"I promise you, I will never bother you and him again. I promise I will never appear in front of you again for the rest of my life!"

"Once Huayi is dealt with, I'm even willing to sell myself to Wenjie. I'm willing to give you a 20/80 split of the profits!"

"I have only one request..."

From a demand to a request, Xiao Liu looked at the hysterical actress in front of him with a headache.

She simply couldn't imagine how crazy Bingbing's request would be to give up her lifelong ambition.

Liu Yifei sighed helplessly.

In the seven or eight years since her debut, she has met all kinds of directors, stars, tycoons, and officials, as well as all kinds of capable and talented people.

However, it must be admitted that Bingbing's appearance, ambition, and matching courage are unparalleled in the Chinese entertainment industry.

If it weren't for the wide road, Xiao Liu would find it hard to imagine any man resisting such relentless pursuit. Even if he didn't succumb to her beauty, he would eventually be captured by her ruthless entanglement.

"Go ahead and speak," Liu Yifei said, standing with her arms crossed in front of Bingbing. The pretty young woman warned sternly, "But I'm warning you upfront—"

"This was the first time in Brooklyn, New York, the second time in Bazaar Charity in Beijing, and the third time today. I will never have these boring conversations with you again."

"Sister Bingbing, I don't want to stand on moral high ground and lecture you, but what you've done is really undignified. There are other men in this world besides Lu Kuan..."

"No! No! Only him!" Upon hearing this, the leading actress seemed to be provoked into even greater madness.

The kinder, more restrained, and polite Xiao Liu was to her, the more undignified he seemed to appear.

Bingbing wasn't without a sense of shame, but what could she do?

The saying "things shouldn't happen more than three times" reflects her subservience; her strong pride and resentment turned into a furious rebuttal at this moment.

"You're a woman too, I don't believe you don't understand this feeling! Liu Yifei!"

"Having been possessed by such a man, both spiritually and physically, would you still be interested in other mediocre men?"

Bingbing grasped Xiao Liu's hand and placed it on her ample chest: "He's a knife!"

"He helped me scrape away the poison of inferiority, weakness, and grievances from my body, but left me with a wound that will never heal. How can I ever forget that?"

"But now! I promise you, Yifei, I'm willing to give up—give up him, give up the money, give up the Huayi he promised me, I..."

A sickly flush suddenly appeared on the pale face of the leading actress: "I want a child, is that okay?"

Before Liu Yifei, who was completely stunned by her madness, could refute anything, Bingbing hugged her tightly: "I'll raise the child with my mother and tell everyone that he's my younger brother. No one will know that he's his child."

"I don't want anything, and I certainly don't want your property. We can sign an agreement on that. I just want this thought, is that alright?"

Two lines of tears slid down Bingbing's face: "Please! I can't take this torture anymore, Yifei. I'm almost thirty years old, please give me a glimmer of hope!"

The leading lady finished speaking the most undignified words of her life in one breath, then collapsed weakly by the door, hugged her knees, buried her head, and wept bitterly.

Finally, after the inner demons of that night at my birthday party three years ago;

From the time he gave himself the warning of "Marie Antoinette";
After gradually feeling that I had been completely reduced to a heartless tool;
After repeatedly asking Xiao Liu for a meager solace in life, which he failed to obtain;
This also happened after Liu Yifei officially adopted his surname, following the death of her mentor Xie Jin, the only person she hoped could mediate between them.

Bingbing could no longer endure the intense suffering of the four kinds of pain: separation from loved ones, encountering those she hated, not getting what she wanted, and being unable to let go. So she chose the most insane and extreme path.

Just as Xiao Liu had thought.

If there is another female star in the Chinese entertainment industry who can do this, with such a desperate and ruthless spirit, it has to be Bingbing.

At this moment, Liu Yifei watched as the leading actress tore off her respectable mask, exposing her festering wounds to the sunlight, and for a moment she couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

Did Fan Bingbing love him for his personality or for his power and status?

The answer that was once so certain is now quite elusive.

Giving up everything she described and being willing to sign this "contract of servitude" with Wen Jie means that she has given up all the hard work she has put in for more than ten years since her debut at the age of sixteen, and has completely become a tool of Lu Kuan's conspiracy in the Chinese entertainment industry, like a guillotine queen who has been beheaded and had all her life cut off.

But is taking this child part of a bigger scheme? Is it yet another meticulously calculated act of cutting losses to survive?

Having a child opens up all possibilities, after all, the bond of blood cannot be severed.

Even though she was a well-bred and beloved first wife.

Looking up at Bingbing, who was crying by the door, her captivating face now only showed the shattered remnants of her pride, yet strangely, it also conveyed a sense of relief.

Liu Yifei absolutely hated this feeling, because every time she saw Bingbing so hysterical, she seemed to see a reflection of her own teenage years.

She also "hated" her new husband. This bastard played with women and left without a second thought, yet he insisted on getting into so many messy relationships and emotional debts that gave her a headache.

She never took the scheming Yang Mi seriously, and she also had the unrequited love of Da Tiantian completely under her control.

But Fan Bingbing, this ambitious and stubborn woman, is just too hard to shake off!

Being a wealthy socialite is not an easy job.

(End of this chapter)