Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 543 The Small Plane and the Large Gray Plane [Liiiu]

To resolve external threats, internal stability must be ensured first. A full-day meeting and a hearty drinking session resolved the issue of unifying thoughts. Before leaving the country, Lu Kuan had another in-depth discussion with Zhang Xiaolong, and then came to Zhongguancun Science Park in HD District.

Come play with the little gray plane.

The mobile phone and drone businesses within the "Great HarmonyOS System" are the only two industries whose headquarters are not located in the Wenjie Building, and they are also relatively independent of the Wenjie System.

Because these are all sensitive topics, we may have to find a way to sever ties to avoid suspicion at any time in the future. Therefore, we should appropriately distance ourselves from the world of questions.

In the previous era, DJI's headquarters were located in "Sky City" in Liuxiandong Headquarters Base, Nanshan District, mainly because Pengcheng (Shenzhen) had the world's most complete consumer electronics supply chain.

The city of Shenzhen and the surrounding areas of Dongguan and Huizhou have abundant suppliers for all the components needed for drones, including sensors, batteries, electronic components, and molds. This is crucial for rapid product iteration and cost reduction.

Meanwhile, Shenzhen is China's "hardware Silicon Valley," attracting a large number of engineers, programmers, and hardware entrepreneurs, providing talent support for technology companies.

However, times have changed. In this era, DJI started with close technical cooperation with the State Science and Technology Commission due to the intervention of the time traveler. Whether it is the flight control system in terms of basic hovering, anti-interference protocol and visual-assisted positioning, or the transformation of military technology in terms of infrared imaging, acoustic detection, battery capacity and payload, it has made great progress.

With ample R&D funding, there's no longer a need to buy the aircraft frame in the East Market, the flight controller in the West Market, the gimbal in the South Market, and the propellers in the North Market of Pengcheng, as was done in my previous life, and then assemble them into a complete aircraft myself.

Having the headquarters in Beiping would also be of great benefit.

Around 2009, key potential customers and partners for drone technology were government departments, national research institutions, and the military, especially DJI in this era.

With its headquarters located in Beiping, it is convenient to conduct frequent and high-level exchanges and cooperation with institutions such as the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, major military industrial groups, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China. This is crucial for securing national-level R&D projects, special funds, and cooperation on sensitive technologies.

There is no doubt that Beiping's scientific research capabilities are among the best in the country, bar none.

While Shenzhen has an advantage in hardware engineers, Beijing boasts a deeper and more diverse talent pool in areas such as algorithm experts, artificial intelligence researchers, system architects, and high-end management personnel. This is of great significance to a company aiming to conquer cutting-edge technologies.

With their departure imminent, Liu Yifei became especially clingy, wanting her husband more than their child, and disguised herself to follow him to DJI headquarters.

Li Ze wanted to greet him early: "I'm sorry, Mr. Lu, Wang Tao went to BYD to discuss battery cooperation and hasn't returned yet."

"He told me about it. You came all the way from Shenzhen, right?" Lu Kuan laughed. "No need. I just wanted to see how the preparations were going. I'm taking a couple of these cameras with me to try out when I go to North America for filming. Maybe I can even try to sell them to you guys."

“It’s not a rush. My academic conference ended yesterday.” Li Ze, being a university professor, wasn’t very good at small talk, so he immediately led him into the laboratory.

"Wait a little longer, there's someone else." Boss Lu glanced at his phone, and Liu Yifei took out her own phone: "Let me ask Zhang Mo where she is..."

"Xiao Lu! The traffic jams during the National Day holiday were terrible, so we left home early." Zhang Yimou, looking refreshed, arrived with his daughter, clearly pleased with the success of the opera "Turandot" yesterday.

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "Since we're here, let's go. Professor Li, please introduce this latest 'Director's Custom Edition' to us."

That's right, his main task today is to check how well DJI can provide drones for filming to the maximum extent possible, according to his requirements.

In the three years since DJI was founded, he has rarely "instructed experts" on the overall technical roadmap and direction, but he has raised many practical needs from the perspective of an ordinary consumer.

One was for the final torch lighting ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, and the other was to create a reasonable excuse last year to accompany Liu Yifei to Wolong, under the pretext of instructing Gu Yun on the filming of the Olympic documentary.

However, from a business perspective, he genuinely needed such a drone for filming, which is also the main direction for civilian and commercial use in later generations.

Demand drives technological progress, which is an irrefutable law of progress.

In the laboratory, Li Shou stood in front of the workbench, carefully lifting a complex quadcopter.

Its main body is made of white reinforced engineering plastic and some carbon fiber materials. The four arms are cleverly gathered around the main body, which keeps the overall size within a surprisingly small range and gives it a basic consideration for portability.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you can see that this layout is more complex than the drones we've seen along the way. Its overall design is to maximize stability during takeoff, landing, and flight. We've specifically optimized the vibration damping of the motor base, and..."

He pointed to a unique omnidirectional structure directly below the fuselage, "This is the prototype of our latest integrated two-axis mechanical gimbal."

Zhang Yimou nodded: "To what extent can this gimbal achieve the effect of Steadicam?"

The use of drones in filmmaking has only been attempted once so far, during the filming of Olympic documentary footage last year. As a director, I'm actually only concerned with two questions:

Clarity and stability.

A gimbal uses a two- or three-axis mechanical structure combined with motors and sensors to counteract vibrations during flight in real time, ensuring the dynamic balance of the camera.
The Steadicam relies on a physical balancing arm and weight reduction device to cushion ground vibrations through human movement, and is traditionally used for film shooting.

Both serve the same purpose and significance for cameras.

Li Zexiang frankly told Zhang, "Director Zhang, it is far from being a complete replacement for a professional Steadicam. The two-axis gimbal mainly uses motor compensation to effectively eliminate most of the high-frequency jitter and tilting during drone flight, providing a basically usable stable image for shooting and meeting the needs of mid-to-long-range aerial photography."

"However, when dealing with severe, irregular vibrations, and when pursuing the extremely smooth 'human body cushioning' and organic camera movement of ground-based shots, its stabilization and dynamic response still lag behind those of the Steadicam."

Lu Kuan laughed and said, "I used the previous version in Qingdao. The picture still has a bit of a 'mechanical feel', but the most important thing is that it can provide an aerial maneuvering perspective, which is something that traditional ground stabilization equipment cannot achieve. I hope there will be more surprises this time."

Zhang Yimou had seen some footage he shot in Qingdao, a realistic depiction of the grand backdrop before Lin Yun's final sacrifice with the enemy. This time, he came to DJI with the intention of applying this new technology to the filming.

“Xiao Lu, I feel that in the current version of the script for ‘The Flowers of War,’ there are a few places where we can tell some new stories from the perspective of drones.”

"The most direct approach is to create a sense of urban ruin and despair during wartime. The opening scene of the Japanese invaders breaching the city requires extensive overhead shots and long takes to depict the desolate scene of fleeing soldiers and refugees pouring through the streets of Nanjing, with artillery fire exploding in the distance."

Leaving aside the matter of Li Ze thinking about this "tool," Lu Kuan was naturally confident in his plans, and Zhang Mo and Liu Yifei, the two practitioners, couldn't help but construct scenarios in their minds.

Especially compared to the tragic scene of the city's fall in "The Sky of History," Xiao Liu felt that if there were a "maneuvering aerial perspective" from drones, the film's theme could be expressed more strongly and fully.

Boss Lu nodded and said, "You can modify the set we built at the Shiqiu base in Jinling and continue to use it. The basic structure is still there."

"But to be honest, there are very few places where we can set up high positions now. Helicopter aerial photography is expensive and bulky, and it's hard to get close. Drones allow us to fly at lower altitudes and move more flexibly among the ruins of the city, simulating the perspective of walking through the gaps in the wreckage after a bombing."

He paused for a moment: "That feeling of being crushed and suffocated, of being insignificant, comes out instantly! Costs can be controlled, but mobility is the key."

The advantages of drones are that they can fly high and can penetrate small spaces.

Helicopters or cranes can also fly high, but the height is limited. However, the cramped space among the ruins makes it difficult for even a photographer to enter by hand.

Zhang Yimou fell into deep thought. Today, like "Under the Hawthorn Tree," was a creative collision with his peers, after all, the latter were also the investors in this film.

However, due to the issue of foreign male actors, we'll have to wait until Lu Kuan goes to North America to meet Leonardo DiCaprio before discussing it further.

“Um… I have an idea.” Liu Yifei suddenly remembered a scene, or rather, because she had spent more than a year on “Sky”, in some ways her familiarity with the script was only slightly less than that of the director himself.

The pair of non-prescription glasses she wore today, which she had specially chosen for her disguise, seemed to have actually provided her with some artistic inspiration.

Lu Kuan teased, "Don't try to teach a fish to swim."

"Don't look down on me. Can't I just throw out an idea to get the ball rolling?" Xiao Liu rolled her eyes at the washing machine with a spoiled attitude.

Zhang Yimou laughed and said, "Little Liu, tell us quickly. The great director's wife has been exposed to this for so many years, her knowledge must be quite high."

"Listen to this, be a little more modest. You think you can bully me after coming out here?" Liu Yifei said with a coquettish smile. "Director Zhang, I can't say for sure. Just take this as me interrupting, maybe it can give you some ideas."

"Both 'The Sky of History' and 'The Flowers of War' feature a church scene, which is the church where Miss Hua prays and protects female students and refugees."

Having been immersed in the industry for five or six years, although her perspective has always been focused on the actors, Liu Yifei thoughtfully said: "My idea is that in that extremely dark, desperate, and oppressive atmosphere, this church has actually become the last island of despair."

"Could a drone capture a panoramic view of the church from the outside, showcasing its isolation and helplessness from a high vantage point? Then, could we edit together a scene of a drone swooping down from the spire or a broken stained-glass window into the interior, seamlessly transitioning into a tragic moment? Wouldn't that create more visual impact?"

Zhang Yimou's pleased expression faded slightly, and after a few seconds of contemplation, he exchanged a glance with Boss Lu...

That's a great idea!
Calling it a stroke of genius is an exaggeration, but it is definitely a clever and concrete idea for drone-shot shots and compositions.

In terms of directing skills and aesthetic ability alone, Xiao Liu simply lacks the ability to engage in dialogue with Lu and Zhang.

However, her advantage lies in her deep understanding of this period of history, which is somewhat like "having read three hundred Tang poems by heart," and thus she has a vivid memory of some scenes that can significantly reflect the subject's emotions.

This is also a kind of "early bird catches the worm" approach.

On the other hand, she and Zhang Yimou were on the same starting line when it came to the "new discipline" of using drone technology in filmmaking.

Xiao Liu played with the various small drones that DJI was testing at home during her pregnancy, even more so than a cat toy, so she naturally had a certain imagination about their specific applications.

Liu Yifei looked at the group of people deep in thought and said, "So? Is this idea really that bad? Then never mind, haha!"

Mr. Lu said with a smirk, "It's pretty good. It's a bit beyond what I remember of your artistic papermaking."

Zhang Mo grabbed her arm in surprise: "Xixi's idea is really interesting. It's like the 'Eye of God' we see in European churches. How did you come up with that?"

"Plagiarized." Liu Yifei covered her mouth and laughed, "When I was in middle school, my dad gave me a DVD of the French film 'Amélie.' I watched it many times. You must remember the scene with the aerial view of the coffee shop."

Zhang Yimou smiled, referring to a stunning scene in the film "Sky High" by the renowned French director Jean-Pierre:

After capturing a panoramic view of Paris from a helicopter, the camera rapidly descended, penetrating through a window into a café, directly inspiring the editing and composition ideas of circling from the outside in and then bursting in from the inside.

Similarly, Peter Jackson's use of CGI to simulate the perspective of drones to show the despair of the Rohan army being besieged is highly consistent with the visual metaphor of "Church Island".

The church overhead shot in "Schindler's List," where Spielberg uses a crane shot to film the Jews hiding in the attic from the church dome, highlighting the sense of spatial oppression, are similar directorial techniques.

It's normal for directors to borrow from each other's shots, as all writing is based on plagiarism. The key is to ensure that the content aligns with the theme and provides the audience with new spiritual nourishment to savor and reflect upon.

Zhang Yimou said earnestly, "Xiao Liu is still quick-witted. Even if the inspiration came from 'Amélie,' this ability to make associations is crucial."

Zhang Mo joked, "Feng Heng is even smarter than Huang Yaoshi."

"No, no, no! I'm just making a fool of myself." Liu Yifei waved her hands, knowing full well her own limitations. She had no interest in such empty praise; it was meaningless.

Boss Lu nodded and said, "Actors also need to understand some directing techniques. This is an advanced skill, and it's good to think about it more often when you have free time."

"As for 'The Flowers of War,' drones can actually bring about a lot of changes and innovations in the lighting and shadow effects."

He paused for a moment: "Just like the several crossings by the 'Qinhuai River Women' as they moved from a safe area to a dangerous one, if we could see their tiny figures traversing the narrow, dilapidated passage from above, that sense of fate and tragedy of 'nowhere to escape' would be incredibly moving."

After chatting for a while, Zhang Yimou and Lu Kuan discussed their respective filming ideas and concepts. Just before leaving, the latter pulled Li Ze aside to offer some advice:

"This time when we go to North America, we will rent a US aircraft carrier and other equipment for filming. We hope we won't be grounded."

"Disassemble the sensitive infrared and other equipment, and completely disguise it as civilian use, so that they won't notice anything amiss."

"Our main focus is on civilian and commercial use, and we excel at filming, which already has a large market."

Li Ze nodded: "Don't worry, we have contingency plans with the State Science and Technology Commission. Military projects are subject to production and export controls, and all of them are civilian models now."

"By the way, are the chip project and other patents from Huawei HiSilicon useful to you?" Lu Kuan asked doubtfully. "I don't know much about it. I was thinking of asking you and Wang Tao in person so we can coordinate if needed."

“Mr. Lu, it’s like this.” Li Ze tried to explain, “The chips from those communication equipment manufacturers are generally used for breakthroughs in communication technology and audio/video decoding.”

"Our primary need is definitely the flight control system, followed by battery packs, image sensors, image transmission encoding and communication, and inertial measurement units, etc. Different commercial aircraft models have different chip focuses."

"The key is that HiSilicon is still in the early stages of development. Otherwise, some patents could indeed be shared. We can only wait and see."

Boss Lu waved his hand: "Okay, just tell me what you need. Anything domestic is easy to handle, but for overseas things, we'll have to figure something out."

Just like the multispectral sensor fusion system he previously purchased from Emil and others through private arms channels of former employees of an Israeli AI company, under the guise of "civil aviation aerial photography equipment";

And with the help of equipment procurement from Hollywood special effects company Motion Analysis, the autonomous take-off and landing control system that was able to bypass the embargo list was able to be used. This technology could also have been used for the take-off and landing of long-arm camera equipment, which was the best cover.

There are many Americans doing this kind of business; it's just a covert operation.

We can't get our hands on the big stuff, but we're stuck with some small, semi-military, semi-commercial technologies. We can try to find a way to get our hands on them.

This is how Lu Kuan's friendly relationship with the military developed; otherwise, why would Yang Rui, the "Deputy Director of the General Armament Department's Aerospace Systems Engineering Office," have offered assistance last time? (Chapter 435)
After listening to the introduction in the laboratory and taking a test flight, Zhang Yimou and others observed the actual shooting effect and standby power before parting ways at the DJI gate.

Zhang Yimou returned home with a bountiful harvest, now determined to fully embark on his experimentation with drone filmmaking. He remained enthusiastic even as he departed.
"At present, drones are not yet able to handle close-up shots and the actors' delicate emotional interactions. Their 'eyes' are more suitable for depicting the environment and spatial relationships, and more suitable for presenting micro-slices from the macro perspective of 'the struggle of small people in a great era'."

"Especially in the long group shot depicting the female students' final journey towards their unknown fate, if it could be filmed from a detached yet seemingly determined angle, it would create a gaze that intertwines compassion and cruelty..."

Zhang Mo urged impatiently, "Dad, that's enough. We've gotten all the freebies for today. The couple is going home now!"

Zhang Yimou laughed heartily: "Haha! You kid, you make it sound like I came here specifically to take advantage of others."

"It's not like we're getting a freebie; we're hoping Director Zhang will give us some advertising," Liu Yifei said with a smile. "DJI has been around for so long and only just released this one relatively mature commercial model. Now Lu Kuan is thinking about how to promote it, so you guys need to do more publicity."

"Absolutely, Mo'er, go back and post something on Weibo first." Zhang Yimou then inquired, "How much are you planning to sell this set for?"

Mr. Lu smiled and said, "Currently, we plan to start with the domestic film and television industry, providing specialized project services, including complete aerial photography solutions that include aircraft, professional pilots, technical support, and insurance."

“The service fee for a project may range from 40 to 80 RMB or even higher, depending on the difficulty and duration. But compared to some film crews renting helicopters, that’s negligible.”

It is widely acknowledged that Chinese cinema has entered a golden age, which has led to a boom in the entire entertainment industry.

In 2009 alone, the State Administration of Radio and Television announced the filing of 456 feature films and 809 TV series with more than 25000 episodes. What a huge market that is!

Even a package price of 80 might only be the salary of a top-tier star for two or three episodes of a TV series, which is insignificant. Furthermore, there are mid-to-low-end products targeting ordinary users and enthusiasts, with even more favorable prices and services. Drones, a novel technology, gained fame at last year's Olympic opening ceremony. Now, the marketization exploration is beginning with a two-pronged approach, starting with the mainland's lavishly funded film and television industry, breaking free from the three-year reliance on the Wenjie system for financial support.

At 11 a.m., Afei did not come with him. Lu Kuan drove himself out of DJI and onto the North Fourth Ring Road, then took the Jingcheng Expressway straight to Wenyuhefu.

During the National Day holiday, Beijing must be the safest place in the world.

"Did I fly well?" Xiao Liu asked with great interest, fiddling with the "ultimate version" drone in her hands. The lab had specially prepared the current top-of-the-line DJI drone for her.

"There aren't many drone pilots in China who are better than me now, after all, I've been flying for generations."

While sending the message, Boss Lu laughed and said, "Your child is really something else. He's read all the scripts we have filed and played with all the different versions of DJI. In a few years, if you raise a little pony, you'll be the new generation's playboy in Beiping!"

"Haha! Not only that, I've also looked at the storyboards and scripts from your previous movies in your study."

Xiao Liu said arrogantly, "Don't worry about whether I understand it or not. Anyway, I watched it all because I was so bored. It fulfills your requirement that top actors also need to understand directing techniques."

Actors who understand directing techniques can comprehend the script from a macro perspective, better grasp the character arc, and understand the function and significance of each scene and line of dialogue in the overall narrative, thereby making their performances more profound and holistic.

It's just that the requirements are too demanding, and few people can meet them. Even Liu Yifei, the "successor of the Ancient Tomb School" who is still dedicated to studying the Melsin manuscript, can only be considered to have dabbled in it, and it is just a new direction.

Her husband, who works in the washing machine industry, has been immersed in it for three or four decades across two lifetimes, while she has only been involved in film for seven years in this life. In addition, there is a difference in their talents, so they are not comparable.

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "No wonder you could recite the church's layout so quickly today; you reacted even faster than Zhang Mo."

Liu Yifei giggled: "You little rascal, you were looking down on me just now, but one day you'll be calling me Director Liu!"

“That’s easy. We’ll shoot a short movie tonight, and you can be Director Liu and actor tonight, playing with a cat toy. I promise I’ll make you Liu Dao one bite at a time.”

The young woman in the passenger seat glanced at him sideways: "If you weren't driving, I would have given you a good beating and turned you into a 'drone' too, you filthy scoundrel!"

She had just put the drone she was playing with into the back seat when she turned her head and saw the car heading towards the Capital Airport: "Aren't we going home now?"

Just then, Boss Lu took out his phone. Realizing he couldn't hide it from his wife any longer, he said mysteriously, "Go to the airport to pick her up."

"Huh? Who?"

"Sister Chunru, I said I had a surprise for you," Lu Kuan said with a smile.

Liu Yifei was genuinely surprised: "Really? I even video-chatted with her when the baby turned one month old, but unfortunately her son's condition hasn't been very good, so I was too embarrassed to ask her to fly all the way here again."

Iris Chang's son had a somewhat withdrawn personality since childhood. In her previous life, she committed suicide, partly due to the helplessness caused by her son's autism, coupled with various other factors that left her disheartened.

In this life, Iris Chang began to break free from melancholy with "The Sky of History," and by last year's Beijing Olympics, she had experienced the prosperity of her motherland and the love and respect people had for her, and her inner knots gradually untied.

Besides lecturing around the United States, clarifying history, and bridging Chinese and American cultures, I also spent more than a year returning to and taking care of my family.

Family members always influence each other, and now, by accompanying the child, we have also emerged from the shadows.

Thanks to the time traveler's all-out effort to lift it up, the beautiful iris quietly bloomed, which became the former's proudest and most honored achievement.

Lu Kuan was also in a very good mood at the moment: "When I asked Zhang Yimou to be a consultant for his film 'The Flowers of War' and bring my son to Beijing for a trip, she immediately agreed."

“Given her personality, she always responds positively to these kinds of things.” Xiao Liu smiled sweetly: “Perfect! I was just wondering how I would get by for the next month or two while you were gone. It’s good that Sister Chunru is here to keep me company. We can take her to play around Beiping and relax again.”

"I can go to places like Zhangjiakou and Chengde, which are only a day or two away. If it's any further, I'll have my mom and aunt accompany me while I stay home to take care of the kids."

Kind-hearted Xiao Liu has already started making plans: "We still have so many flowers, plants, cats and dogs at home. Dogs have a miraculous effect on children with autism."

The Maybach quickly turned onto the airport expressway. She said with some surprise, "But isn't it too ostentatious for us to go pick someone up like this? Won't we be surrounded by all sorts of people later?"

Boss Lu raised his chin: "Open the armrest box and take out the pass and put it in front of you."

"A VIP pass for Beijing Capital International Airport?" Liu Yifei complied. "What's this for? I've never seen it before."

"There are many types, most of which are specially approved by the municipal government, foreign affairs office, foreign education department, etc. They are also called state guest passage passes or foreign affairs reception passes, and are used for foreign affairs receptions."

“Vehicles are allowed to enter the airport’s controlled area, including the tarmac, to greet or see off guests at the aircraft steps. Afei has already reported the license plate number in advance.”

Xiao Liu laughed and said, "If Nan Fang and his gang find out, they'll say the richest man is abusing his privileges. But it's worth it for Chunru's convenience."

“It’s not about abusing special privileges.” Lu Kuan said seriously, “We followed the proper procedures and used the application criteria of ‘Ms. Iris Chang’s outstanding contributions to the country and society in the humanities.’ The Foreign Affairs Office had no reason to refuse, especially since the leadership had given instructions.”

"Given that her son is still somewhat autistic and timid, and this is his first time going abroad, it would be too inhumane for his hometown not to even provide this much courtesy."

Compared to driving a Mercedes-Benz G-Class into the Forbidden City, it's really not excessive for the richest man to legally and compliantly drive his car onto the airport tarmac.

Liu Yifei, now a mother herself, empathizes with this issue: "It's really not easy. People with autism must also be very panicked when flying, having to stay in a small space for such a long flight."

"It's alright, it's resolved."

"Resolved?" Xiao Liu asked in surprise, "You chartered a plane for them?"

"Guess what?"

The man avoided answering, but just smiled and drove into the first checkpoint, rolling down the window: "Comrade, we have a record, please check."

Two uniformed ground crew members stepped forward, smiling and nodding at the two familiar faces inside the car. "Excuse me, everyone on Earth recognizes you two, but we have to do our routine..."

"It's okay, just follow the rules."

The older ground staff members were humble and cooperative, quickly completing the inspection and letting people through, while secretly thinking that the bigger the person, the less pretentious they were.

Unlike a few days ago, when a young nobleman almost crashed into a barrier because it took a few extra minutes to check his documents, he was ultimately detained and his vehicle impounded by the armed police on duty at the airport.

This is the Capital Airport, not an ordinary civil aviation base. Even a slight disturbance here could lead to a major security incident or a major diplomatic incident.

The younger ground staff quickly scanned the vehicle with handheld security scanners, and after confirming that everything was in order, they boarded the lead car and signaled the Maybach to follow.

The guide vehicle led them around the busy terminal and along the "VIP-3" dedicated lane to the apron. Along the way, they passed through several electronic gates, where security personnel checked passes and recorded license plates.

Finally, the vehicle was parked in the designated parking area on the west side of Terminal 3.

"Has Sister Chunru not arrived yet?" Liu Yifei was enjoying the privilege of driving straight to the helipad for the first time, and looked around curiously, seemingly forgetting her question from earlier.

"Get out of the car." Boss Lu pushed open the car door, took the two temporary passes handed to him by the ground staff, who was clearly a little excited:
"Guide, the control tower says the plane will land in about 5 minutes. There will be a jet bridge to connect you, but you can wait directly by the gangway. Please be careful."

“Okay, no problem.” Seeing his hesitant expression, Lu Kuan invited, “Do you want to take a photo together? If your work rules allow it…”

He gestured to his top female celebrity wife, presumably because she was a loyal fan of his.

The latter approached with a smile. She was all too familiar with this kind of photo opportunity, but she hadn't expected...

"Great! Director Lu, it's me, Laundry Detergent! I'm so excited to finally meet you in person today! I'm so excited!"

The male ground staff member was so excited that he was almost incoherent, seemingly forgetting that the word "laundry detergent" could highlight the iconic nickname of the mainland's richest man opposite him.

"Director Lu, can we take a picture?"

He turned to Xiao Liu naturally, both in his actions and words: "Ms. Liu, thank you for your help!"

loyalty!

The laundry detergent had no eyes for the stunningly beautiful female celebrity who was awkwardly standing to the side as she walked over; her eyes were filled with admiration and longing for her "stand-in"!

Today's Weibo post: A pilgrimage to Beijing Capital International Airport!
"Hahaha!" Boss Lu raised his eyebrows at his wife with a smug look. "Come on, I rarely get the privilege of being asked for a photo. But you can block the background later."

"No problem! No problem!" The young ground staff member was quick-witted and immediately understood what he meant: it wouldn't be good if it were posted online and caused controversy.

There is still a strong sense of resentment towards the rich and privileged in society today, even though this uninformed person believes that his idol is fully entitled to these "privileges".

Xiao Liu stood to the side with her arms crossed, and only after the male ground staff member had walked away did she say irritably, "What laundry detergent? I think it's just crystallized laundry liquid!"

"Heh, jealousy can make a person unrecognizable," Lu Kuan chuckled. "Looks like I have quite a few fans, huh? I've only run into two people today, and one of them is..."

"Lu Kuan! Um... um!"

Suddenly, Xiao Liu, who was standing next to him, covered his mouth in horror. His pupils reflected the image of a giant silver-white bird slowly descending from the clouds. Sunlight refracted into fragments on the streamlined fuselage as it gracefully swept across the azure sky at 40° North latitude.

This wasn't the first time Liu Yifei had seen an airplane, nor was it the first time she had seen such a small private plane; she was simply amazed by the paint scheme on the fuselage.

As the altitude decreased, the deep-space blue artistic lettering "Liiiu" at the tail of the aircraft gradually became clear:

The letter "L" stands tall like a knight's sword, the three playful "i"s are designed as two clusters of small footprints sandwiching a heart, and the final "U" is transformed into an embracing arm.

The paint was deliberately placed at the junction of the vertical tail and the fuselage to ensure that this love letter from the sky can be captured immediately whether viewed from above or below.

This is indeed a love letter, and the author is Liu Yifei herself. She wrote it on Weibo on the day she gave birth:

It started with Lu, then with i, and then came Liu.

Until May 10th, 2009, my first Mother's Day, two more loves were added between Lu Kuan and me, turning us into Liiiiu. (Chapter 532)
The "i" in the middle, drawn as two little footprints in cartoon form, represents Yoyo and Tiedan!

Liu Yifei suddenly remembered that on the way, her husband had said "pick up from the airport," not "pick up people." It just so happened that their private jet had been delivered, and he was bringing Iris Chang and her family to China. It was a perfect solution!
A sudden gust of wind arose from the Bombardier 6000, the roar of the engine grew louder as it approached, and Xiao Liu's long hair was whipped up by the airflow, flying wildly in the wind.

Looking at the heartwarming design representing her family of four, she was moved and, in a possessive gesture, wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and kissed his lips.

In front of everyone, no matter how touching it was, she couldn't have a French kiss. But sweet love was already flowing in her dimples as she smiled: "You little rascal, you can do it now. I used to always let you have your way with me, but now I can be romantic once in a while!"

"I lied to Liu Chuanzhi before, saying I was buying Lianxiang as a birthday gift. This is the real gift. It's two months late because the production schedule is too tight."

Mr. Lu laughed and said, "Last year, during the financial crisis, many wealthy people ordered planes but then gave up. I had them pick one that hadn't even started being modified yet, and it took more than a year to customize it. But it still didn't make it for your birthday, and it didn't even make it for your wedding anniversary last month. What a loss!"

“If it weren’t for Sister Chunru’s return to China, I would have kept it hidden until next year to take it out, which would have saved me a lot of trouble.”

Liu Yifei laughed in exasperation: "You're ruined by that lousy mouth of yours! You can't even say nice things when you're doing a good deed! I was actually thinking of wearing that cat-themed dress tonight..."

"What!" The washing machine's eyes lit up: "Really? Didn't it tear last time...?"

"We'll see! We'll see how you do!" The young woman gave her husband a coquettish glare. As the gangway reached the bottom, Zhang Chunru and her son slowly walked down.

"Xiao Lu! Xixi!"

Iris Chang visited once after Xiao Liu gave birth, but didn't travel back and forth again after the one-month celebration. Now she is embracing the two of them intimately.

She exaggeratedly pinched Liu Yifei's waist: "You're amazing! You're still so chubby after giving birth! So incredibly cute, you really are a female celebrity!"

Then he patted Lu Kuan on the shoulder and looked at his youthful chin: "Hmm, Lu has matured since becoming a father. He doesn't look like a young man anymore."

"Chris, they are your family. Can you say hello to them?"

The little boy, named Chris, was born in 2002. His features still show more Chinese characteristics. He looked timidly at the two Chinese people in front of him and hurriedly hid behind his mother.

Iris Chang did not blame her son; she simply gave the two of them an apologetic, helpless look.

Liu Yifei smiled gently at the little boy, squatted down, and spoke to him in English: "I have a puppy, a kitten, and a remote-controlled airplane. Would you like to play with them?"

As he spoke, he took out his phone and showed photos of Liu Dongdong, Coal Ball, and other mythical creatures one by one.

Chris's eyes widened slightly when he saw the phone screen, and when a close-up of Liu Dongdong's smiling face with his tongue sticking out appeared, his thin fingers unconsciously tugged at Zhang Chunru's clothes.

“This is Dongdong. It will use its nose to help you find the cookies hidden in the garden.” Liu Yifei gestured lightly with her fingertips.

Chris suddenly extended his index finger and carefully tapped Liu Dongdong's pink paw pad on the screen.

This action caused the cuffs of his loose plaid shirt to slip down, revealing several faint scratch marks on his wrists, which are common self-injury marks in children with autism.

The year the little boy was born in 2002 was also the most mentally agonizing year for his mother in her previous life, until she committed suicide by shooting herself in a car in 2004.

Because of their insistence on truth and justice, they faced endless harassment, intimidation, and massive criticism fabricated by right-wing propaganda, which nearly destroyed their entire family, including their innocent child.

Looking at the scene before her, watching her autistic son timidly yet curiously reach out to touch the kitten's paw, and seeing Liu Yifei's still gentle and kind smile, Zhang Chunru unconsciously shed tears in the wind.

She remains unchanged, just like the angel who once shared her pain, only becoming more gentle and resilient after becoming a mother.

Sunlight filtered through her loose hair, casting dappled shadows on her cheeks. Her almond-shaped eyes remained as clear as ever, but now they were filled with a deeper compassion and understanding.

When Iris Chang's tears rolled down her cheeks, they tasted salty and bitter, but it was no longer the bitter despair of the past. Instead, it was the tremor of witnessing the eternal and undying goodwill after experiencing vicissitudes of life.

(End of this chapter)