Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 509 New Year's Storm
The Volvo slowly came to a stop, and the moment the high beams went out, Yang Mi's nose, red from the cold, was particularly noticeable under the streetlights.

She pulled her beige cashmere coat tighter around her neck, and the white puffs of her breath and her shivering body seemed to be telling Xiao Liu, who was slowly getting off the bus, "I'm cold, and I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Da Mimi is a woman; if she were a man, she would probably be a formidable rival to the washing machine.

That's incredibly persistent.

Unable to confront her sugar daddy, she had no choice but to drive back home by herself after parting ways with him.

"Yang Mi, why are you here so late?" No matter how unwilling Liu Yifei was, she had no choice but to get out of the car. It wasn't like she was about to slap a smiling face; she was practically slapping herself in the face.

"Xixi, I...I'm here to give the baby a New Year's gift." Yang Mi took out a blue velvet box tied with a ribbon from the car, but didn't open it.

"A pair of pure silver longevity locks, worthless, just a token of my affection."

Looking at the road she was about to get off at, her expression grew even more tense: "Director Lu, I'm sorry to bother you so late."

Looking at her pitiful appearance, Boss Lu knew that her coldness and fear were not feigned, but her sincere remorse and inability to express it were definitely an act.

Yang Mi has taken the "between Qi and Chu" relationship to a whole new level. When she was working at Huayi Brothers and relied on Bingbing to introduce fashion resources, she had to find a balance between the leading actress and her best friend Liu Yifei, and they would keep each other informed and speculate on each other's business.

Now he's gone to LeEco Culture, because he feels deeply about the 404 incident, and he specially staged this New Year's Eve drama.

Looking at her nose, red from the cold and her sniffling, her small face was filled with dejection and regret. Anyone with a soft heart would find it hard to put on a stern face and say anything.

Lu Kuan naturally had no time to argue with a young woman, or rather, he never took Yang Mi seriously. He touched his nose helplessly and said, "Yang Mi, forget about the gift, don't be shy. It's too cold outside, why don't you come in and have a cup of tea?"

As he spoke, he wrapped his coat tighter around himself and walked inside, seemingly offering a less than enthusiastic invitation.

Yang Mi looked grateful and said, "No, Director Lu, I... I'll just say a few words to Qianqian and then leave."

She wanted to confide in the richest man, but there was nowhere she could talk to him.
The matter of Huayi Shares was originally handled by Liu Yifei, and even now it seems to have no connection with Boss Lu.

Lu Kuan, who considered himself to have acted as a gentleman, smiled and said, "Alright, you guys chat, I'll go in first. It's too cold, don't stand there for too long."

"Ah Fei." He called out, his hand gripping the car window frame, without saying anything more.

"Yes."

The latter nodded from inside the car, watching his boss walk alone through the imposing gate and disappear into the darkness.

Da Mimi withdrew her gaze from him, knowing that someone like him wouldn't bother with the petty squabbles between women, just like how he completely entrusted Bingbing to Liu Yifei's care.

The key issue is that Xiao Liu is also very annoyed right now; all the female celebrities in this world are so annoying!
However, there are still some good ones, such as the stubborn Changchang and the silly Tiantian, who let themselves be molded and bullied, making them very fun to tease.

Yang Mi finally seized the opportunity, and naturally, she looked remorseful: "Qianqian, I really did something wrong. The pressure from above was just too great at the time. He wouldn't approve the special transport train, and the losses from having Xiao Xu's mine stuck on site for even a day were..."

"Wait a minute!" Xiao Liu felt a bit of a toothache, as if he was rejecting a persistent sycophant who was impossible to explain himself.

“Yang Mi, trust is something that cannot be reversed,” Liu Yifei said seriously. “I asked you to hold the shares on my behalf, and although it was just a verbal request, your final hesitation is disappointing.”

"You may have your own difficulties, which I understand, but I don't accept them."

"That's not how it is!" Da Mimi suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Liu Yifei's hand, her face contorted with grief. "I did hesitate, but in the end, I stood by you!"

"Even after you joined LeEco Culture, you'll still be my closest friend in my heart. Please don't misunderstand and think I'm involved in these recent events..."

Yang Mi paused, then suddenly gritted her teeth and said, "Qianqian, if you don't believe me, how about I pay for the termination of my contract with LeEco Culture myself? I'll come to Wenjie."

Xiao Liu raised an eyebrow, and his expression instantly became lively in the sub-zero wind of Beiping.

"To be frank, all my resources come from the Xu family. Even if I get cursed to death, I'll still come out, okay?"

Da Mimi held her best friend's black leather gloves in both hands, and the cool touch seemed to bring a long-lost warmth.

The cold wind swirled snowflakes that brushed against Yang Mi's temples. Fine frost clung to her eyelashes, yet she forced a look of grievance and stubbornness as she stared intently at the pregnant woman before her.

Ha, she won't agree.

She can watch herself come to Wenjie to seize resources and get close to Lukuan, while incidentally making Wenjie bear the reputation of malicious competition and suppression of its peers.

LeTV Culture was only established a month ago. First, its website was 404 errors, and then its leading actress was poached.
“Great! That’s fine.” Liu Yifei suddenly smiled. “It’s good that you think this way. No matter how much money LeTV Culture has, how could it possibly have the professionalism to train artists like Wenjie?”

Xiao Liu put her arm around her best friend's shoulder, but the latter couldn't help but tremble: "You and the company can split the termination fee in half. I'll make the decision and talk to Lu Kuan for you, okay?"

Yang Mi had Liu Yifei put her arm around her shoulder. The latter was at least 6 or 7 centimeters taller than Yang Mi, who was wearing sheepskin boots. The pressure from both their physical presence and the conversational situation was immense.

The tassels of Xiao Liu's cashmere shawl brushed against her bare neck, causing Da Mimi to shiver slightly.

"I... okay, I'll go back and talk to Xiao Xu..." Yang Mi, who had been directly confronted to the edge of a cliff, stammered involuntarily, "If... if it won't affect Director Lu's reputation, I'm willing..."

Tonight's stage, role, and co-stars were clearly beyond the capabilities of Yang Mi, one of the "Four Little Actresses." She simply couldn't keep up with even a single simple line from her co-stars.

The cold wind brushed her face, giving her an opportunity to avoid eye contact while tidying her stray hairs, so as to prevent Xiao Liu from dissecting her without any emotional connection.

"Ha, all done!"

Liu Yifei's warm palm gently caressed her shoulder, her round face glowing softly under the streetlight.

"If you want to act, then act your heart out in movies. Aren't you tired of living like this?"

Yang Mi's ears instantly turned bright red, and her carefully applied lip makeup was smudged by her teeth. But before she could continue her pretentious act, she was ruthlessly interrupted.

"Go back. Just do your own thing and don't have any paranoia." Liu Yifei's back was really sore from standing, so she opened the car door and sat in the back seat.

Ah Fei started the engine, which had been off for too long and was now shaking and roaring.

As if rejecting a sycophant, Liu Yifei had to say some hurtful things: "Actually, I haven't paid any attention to you since the Huayi incident, let alone any absurd and outrageous grudges or retaliation. The LeTV incident was purely their own fault for breaking the law, so who can they blame?"

"If you have the ability, then go ahead and develop. You can surpass me or anyone else. Just don't do these things again."

Seeing her extremely miserable and embarrassed expression from inside the car, Xiao Liu pursed his lips and still said a soft word: "Go back quickly, Happy New Year."

The gates of Wenyuhe Mansion sensed the license plate and slowly slid open to both sides.

The Volvo's taillights left two dark red streaks in the night before disappearing into the deep end of the manor.

As Yang Mi watched this girl, who had consistently outshone her since "The Return of the Condor Heroes," now the wife of a billionaire and a Berlin Film Festival Best Actress, leave so calmly, her expression gradually hardened.

She deliberately arrived two hours early and parked her car right in front of her house under the surveillance camera; now it all seems so ridiculous.

Da Mimi believed what her former best friend said, that the latter had no interest in settling scores over the Huayi voting, but she was even more frustrated and heartbroken by the latter's indifference.

There was no anger, no mockery, not even a trace of the victor's superiority; only a dismissive attitude bordering on pity.

Yang Mi, who had just become the top female star of a domestic film company, stood there in a daze, her sheepskin boots making a slight cracking sound as they stepped on the thin ice.

She twitched her lips, as if she wanted to laugh, or perhaps it was self-mockery. Then she reached out and gathered her hair, which had been scattered by the cold wind. The icy touch of the diamond earrings made her heart sink to the bottom.

The sad truth is right before our eyes:
An actress thought she was playing a supporting character who had gone astray, but after the curtain fell, she discovered that the lead actress saw her as an extra.

She doesn't even count as a vicious female villain.

Even though Yang Mi didn't know if anyone was watching her, she still held her breath and got into the car before slamming her fist on the horn.

"Liu Yifei!"

"..."

The piercing horn shattered the night sky, and her frantic curses went unheard by anyone else. The lights of the villa district in the distance remained silent, not even a single window lit up.

In the rearview mirror, her face was as pale as a poorly made plaster mask, and a small patch of her carefully drawn eyeliner had smudged, like an ugly crack.

Whether due to psychological imbalance or prolonged jealousy, a seed of resentment has been deeply sown.

……

"Oh my! These are really nice! Teacher Zhao Benshan is so thoughtful." In the living room of the main villa, Liu Xiaoli was stroking the two roe deer horn hats with great affection, and she could almost picture two little children wearing them.

"So, my trip wasn't a waste, was it?" Little Liu said proudly. "See those two long horns? That's called 'Two horns braving wind and frost, stepping into the spring sunshine with every step,' which is a good omen for children!"

She proudly pulled out two hadas (ceremonial scarves): "See? These were given by a dance troupe of ethnic minorities from Sichuan Province. They even sang hymns to bless the baby!"

The old mother nodded in satisfaction: "Good, good, good, you two did a good job, you've brought good fortune to the child."

The older people are, the more they believe in cause and effect and reincarnation, because the passage of time has allowed them to see the impermanence of life and to understand the principle that good deeds bring good results and bad deeds bring bad consequences.

"Teacher Zhao has done you a great favor; you two must repay him when you have the chance."

The family sat around the dining table. Because Xiao Liu, the pregnant woman, had a different meal plan than most people, this New Year's Eve dinner was a little later.

"Yes, he was too kind this time, but friendships aren't built in a day, there will be other opportunities in the future." Lu Kuan nodded, then raised his glass:

"Let's not talk about anything else, let's have a drink, it's the new year."

“On New Year’s Day, I told Xixi that 2008 was such a turbulent year, it felt like I had lived a whole life.”

"Two little angels are coming to our family in 2009, and I can't wait to start thinking about the rest of my life."

"Haha!" Liu Yifei said dreamily, holding a glass of orange juice, "This time next year, there will be two more little ones at the table. It's amazing!"

Liu Xiaoli sighed, "Isn't this what life is all about? It's passed down from generation to generation, endlessly."

The New Year's fireworks outside the window were still going on. The old mother, after drinking two glasses of wine, was also excited: "Sisi is so independent at such a young age. I'm a little at a loss."

"Fortunately, I have hope again. I want to raise my two children, but I don't know if I'll be able to see them have their own children."

"Of course!" Xiao Liu smiled broadly: "Lu Kuan is having children too late. He'll be 30 in two years. Don't worry, Mom, I'll have my son have a baby for you to play with when he's 18."

Little Washing Machine: ? Liu Yifei! You're so high and mighty! You're so amazing!

Liu Xiaolv – known as the lifelong enemy of washing machines, applicable to all sizes and models of washing machines.

Liu Xiaoli ate a few bites, drank two glasses of wine with the young couple, and then went to rest, as staying up late was quite strenuous for her age.

After washing up and getting into bed, the last cluster of fireworks burst open in the night sky outside the window, golden sparks falling like starlight, making the dark patterns on the curtains flicker.

The snow along the Wenyu River had long since stopped, with only the occasional wisps of snow sliding down the branches, making a faint sound in the silence.

Liu Yifei, in her late pregnancy, was easily fatigued and so sleepy that she couldn't lift her head. Lu Kuan gently turned off the bedside lamp, and darkness descended like a soft silk.

In the distance, the sporadic sound of firecrackers from families staying up late on New Year's Eve drifted by, like tiny ripples in the long river of time, propelling them toward a brand new tomorrow.
-
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Chinese people are usually awakened by the sound of firecrackers. The windows of the richest man's house are as unique and stylish as the "living room of the lady's house" described by Bing Xin, but the extra layer cannot completely filter out the noise.

Lu Kuan watched his sleepy wife quietly slip away, finished his dumplings, and started working in his study.

He turned on his computer, unusually wanting to log in and forward a New Year's greeting image from the official Weibo account of Wenjie. However, the default login was still Liu Yifei's "Vitamin Qian," and upon opening it, he was bombarded with mentions from various classmates, friends, and besties.

Tang Yan, Su Chang, Jing Tian, ​​Zhou Xun, Fan Bingbing...

Oh, and Yang Mi too. As usual, Yang Mi sent Liu Yifei spring greetings and interacted with her.

It seems the two of them had a fruitful conversation last night, or it could just be wishful thinking on Da Mi Mi's part, which is irrelevant.

Amidst numerous news articles about New Year's greetings, blessings, and discussions about the Spring Festival Gala, a particularly trending topic caught my eye:

"Female cultural scholar criticizes 'Not Short of Money' as vulgar!"

Public opinion was in an uproar, resulting in a ridiculous two-sided phenomenon:
And Han, the vice president of the Dramatists Association, who is quite influential, criticized it as vulgar, tasteless, and pandering.

However, in stark contrast to their efforts to educate the public and criticize Lao Zhao by citing classical texts, the general public offered their strong support and offered casual insults.

You said farting is bad? Well, I'm going to spray it in your face anyway!
This is just a typical flame war in this day and age.

First came his battle with Zhu Dake, then came the chaotic melee and mutual satire among Han Han, the Writers Association, Guo Jinming, and others, as well as the occasional major debate within the literary and artistic circles—all quite fascinating.

Boss Lu didn't take it seriously, thinking that with Zhao Benshan's influence, even if he turned a blind eye, the matter wouldn't escalate too much.

Although he only opened Liu Laogen Grand Stage in Beiping this year, he had already made preparations in all aspects before the troops even set out.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Liu Yifei, who had been eating melons since waking up at noon, found her husband in the study.

"The road is wide, but something seems off?"

"What's wrong?" Boss Lu stood up nervously and looked at his wife.

Xiao Liu waved his hand: "No, it wasn't me. It's Teacher Zhao's matter that seems to be getting out of hand, and it's escalating."

She sat down at the computer and opened a webpage. "Look, neither of the most popular programs nor the most popular comedy programs include 'Not Short of Money'."

This is a regular selection process after the annual gala, and Lao Zhao's performance is a frequent winner.

Lu Kuan stared into thought as he looked at the seemingly true but actually false news. Although there was no official statement, the program tag "Not Short of Money" was indeed temporarily removed from the list of candidates.

Something is wrong.

As for whether Li Yinghe had bombarded Old Zhao in his previous life, he really didn't have much of an impression.

However, the claim that "Not Short of Money" was directly "protectively blocked" by the authorities is absolutely untrue.

Such a wonderful program, instead of winning an award, was taken off the air. This isn't America more than ten years from now, is it?

"Wide road?"

"Hmm? Oh! Let me ask!" Boss Lu laughed, "You think Old Zhao foresaw this yesterday? He can repay this favor today."

Even now, Lu Kuan still doesn't think there's anything wrong with the situation.

This situation was foreshadowed, as the two sides had already had disagreements during a previous sketch competition.

It wasn't until later generations demanded greater educational value and a reduction in the "rustic humor" that Old Zhao lost his spirit and never performed again.

Old Zhao, who was feeling stifled in his villa in Beijing, saw the caller ID and his eyes lit up.

"Xiao Lu, you must have gone home late yesterday. Happy New Year!"

Seeing his wife's eager eyes, Lu Kuan turned on speakerphone. "Teacher Zhao, why didn't you let me know if something was wrong? You told me not to be a stranger yesterday, but you're being so formal on the first day of the new year."

"Haha! Not at all, it's nothing, it's just a small matter, why would you call me specifically for it?"

Seeing that he was unwilling to talk, Boss Lu assumed there were other details he didn't know, so he didn't ask any more questions. After chatting for a couple more minutes, he hung up the phone.

Zhao Benshan put down the phone, his face somewhat grave. He himself hadn't expected the situation to suddenly spiral out of control like a runaway dog.

Before Boss Lu called, he made a phone call to Lang Kun, giving him a very rude rebuke. The latter was relatively friendly, but it was clear that the decision-making power was not in his hands.

"Brother, why don't you talk to Director Lu..." This was Ma Ruidong, the vice president of Benshan Media, and also the younger brother of Zhao Benshan's wife, Ma Lijuan.

"Tell him? Now? That's too early!" Old Zhao looked at his brother-in-law with a frustrated expression. "Let's see what CCTV says. You use connections to get things done as soon as something happens, what about the future?"

"Living in the capital is not easy; there are bound to be many messy things to come!"

Ma Ruidong said anxiously, "But something's clearly not right now! We may have been arguing, but when did it escalate to this point?"

"And these so-called cultural scholars, that female professor, what the hell did she write in that book about sex? Isn't that just pornography?"

Old Zhao's brother-in-law said indignantly, "That kind of book makes me blush just reading it, and she still has the nerve to call it an academic work? She even criticized our Errenzhuan (a type of folk opera) as vulgar before? Damn it!"

"Alright!" Zhao Benshan was already annoyed, and his brother-in-law's nagging only made him angrier. "You're not a kid anymore, and you're a vice president now. Stop using such vulgar language all the time. Who are you insulting? Go outside and try insulting someone!"

Ma Ruidong said helplessly, "I... I won't say anymore. The main problem is Professor Li. I just can't figure out what we did to offend her so much that she had to pull this stunt."

Old Zhao nodded, stroking his chin as he fell into deep thought.

It's no wonder he couldn't understand it. To put it humorously, or to paraphrase her late husband Wang Xiaobo, this Professor Li was "a maverick pig."

In a way, she and Zhu Dake were sitting at the same table, and you, Lao Zhao, weren't the only one criticizing them.

However, for well-known reasons, Professor Li has always enjoyed the support of a minority group, and his voice is quite loud and his prestige is also very high, but he has become increasingly reckless in his speech.

In the entertainment industry, Zhang Yimou, Jin Dong, and Zhao Benshan are all targets of her criticism, but many unexpected people have actually gained Professor Li's "appreciation".

For example, last year Ang Lee was specifically praised for "Lust, Caution," for capturing the heroine's courage and the complexity of the character.

……

"You hung up already?" Liu Yifei was speechless. "Is Teacher Zhao being a little reserved? Or is she just too embarrassed to admit it?"

Lu Kuan laughed and said, "You value face too much, don't you? It's not that he can't save face, it's that he thinks this matter isn't worth saving face for."

"Ding dong!"

An email arrived from Xu Bo at the Internet Public Opinion Center, in which he had just arranged for public opinion analysis and monitoring of this matter.

"So this is really a large-scale operation?" Boss Lu looked at the densely packed list of opinion leaders and media outlets on the table with a bit of a speechless expression. The Beijing Times, a prominent publication in the Beijing circle, and various newspapers from Nanfang were prominently listed.

Huh?
He suddenly thought of a possibility.

Is Zhao Benshan perhaps implicated because of me?

Damai.cn's covert operation was orchestrated by him, who orchestrated a grand scheme in Beijing to fully cooperate with Wenjie's overt plot, thus exposing the opponent's sneak attack.

Otherwise, he might not discover the existence of the Axis of Evil until the Lunar New Year film season begins in mid-November.

The densely packed tables, attack frequency, and full-network coverage made it clear to Xiao Liu: "Has Zhao Benshan offended someone?"

Lu Kuan nodded: "They should be taking the blame for me. These people, relying on the big and small circles of flies and moths and Nan Fang, have started making noise again."

"But this time, with Nan Fang involved, the situation seems a bit suspicious."

Are those shrewd idiots taking on new business orders during the Lunar New Year?

Liu Yifei was a little confused: "What do you mean?"

Mr. Lu glanced at his wife, sorted out his thoughts, and thought about how to talk to her about these secrets on the cultural front.

“A document of a speech by CIA Director Allen Dulles has been leaked, titled ‘Principles of Postwar International Relations’.”

"It describes how to peacefully transform the thinking of Third World countries, and one of its points is as follows—"

"Sow the seeds of chaos, subtly replacing their valuable possessions with counterfeits, and making their literature, drama, and film depict and glorify the most despicable human emotions."

"We must do everything we can to support and encourage those who instill in people's minds the worship of violence, pornography, and treason."

Xiao Liu lived in the United States during junior and senior high school, and even spent a year studying in the relatively chaotic Chicago area after adulthood, so he had some knowledge of these things.

"You mean Professor Li attacked Teacher Zhao... for both personal and public purposes?"

Lu Kuan laughed and said, "I'm just guessing. After all, we can't see everyone's true colors. But judging from their words and actions, the overly sexually open and liberated ideas she brings are obviously out of place in China."

The artsy girl hesitated, "I've read Wang Xiaobo's 'The Silent Majority,' but I never imagined his wife..."

"Everyone has two sides. Now, suppose our daughter has already been born, how would you, as a mother, view it?"

Liu Yifei was stunned. She had never read Professor Li's work and naturally had no idea that the content was so "explosive".

The expectant mother said with disgust, "Isn't this the kind of person you just mentioned who was given to a whole country?"

“Yes! Professor Li’s ideas are one of them,” Lu Kuan said with a smile.
Lu Kuan suddenly recalled a typical example: "During that time you were live on Fox, they even encouraged you to do the same."

"Yes."

"This is one of them."

Xiao Liu was indignant: "So what do we do now? For both personal and professional reasons, we have to help Teacher Zhao, right?"

"Don't rush, this is just the beginning. The production team hasn't officially stated anything yet. Let's wait until they expose all the culprits before we deal with them and see who's involved."

"However, judging from the clues from Damai.cn and Nanfang, Chairman Liu can't escape. He probably resents Old Zhao for ruining his big plan. This little prank during the New Year is making him uncomfortable."

"Besides, Lao Zhao doesn't want to waste this favor, and I can't just repay it hastily, can I?"

Lu Kuan joked, "Think about it, we're basically heroes rescuing damsels in distress right now."

"These bandits just kidnapped Teacher Zhao and brought him back to the village. They haven't even had a chance to lay a hand on him yet. If we rush in to rescue him now, how can we expect Teacher Zhao to be so moved that he'll offer himself to us?"

"Ugh! I think you've been poisoned by Professor Li's ideas. It's really creepy!" Liu Yifei said with a look of disgust.

This was obviously a joke. Grandpa Benshan was a true friend of his, and there was no reason for him to stand idly by or wait for a better price.

However, to resolve this matter, firstly, we need to wait for the official removal of "Not Short of Money" from the candidate list, creating a fait accompli, before he can use his connections with the State Administration of Radio and Television to make a change.
Secondly, it also allows the general public's resentment to ferment, so that they can see the true colors of these self-proclaimed intellectuals.

This can be considered another example of cultural education work that teaches people through practical experience, following the previous "pig manure" incident.

……

So, while Mr. Lu and his wife enjoyed a relaxing and leisurely family life at home on the first day of the Lunar New Year, drinking tea, reading books, taking walks, and walking the dog, Old Zhao at home in Beijing was extremely agitated.

After getting furious because his brother-in-law "maliciously ponged" a tile while playing mahjong, several even worse pieces of news finally arrived.

The award program team officially announced:
The skit "Not Short of Money" on this year's program has been met with a lot of criticism from the public, and the program team and its superiors have also received a lot of complaints from the public.

In order to safeguard the healthy and positive cultural life of the general public, it is hereby officially decided to temporarily revoke the eligibility of this skit for the award. The results will be announced separately after a special review!
Old Zhao finally lost his temper. He had just been lecturing his brother-in-law about being civilized, but then he started cursing himself.
"Are they trying to fool us? A bunch of worthless bastards, playing the erhu in their crotches—talking complete nonsense!"

He hesitated for a few seconds, and just as he took out his phone to ask his former boss for details, the phone rang first.

(End of this chapter)